IPL 2025, LSG vs RCB Highlights: Jitesh Sharma books RCB's berth in qualifier 1 with masterful 85*(33) as captain

LSG vs RCB Live Score: Thushara manages to string together three dots against Pant, but hurls up a waist-high full toss at Marsh. The Aussie top edges a four off the free-hit, but it's an excellent over outside of that.

In the balance at 55-1 after the powerplay.

LSG vs RCB Live Score: How about that! In at three and early in the innings, down on one knee and slogs Dayal over midwicket. 

Off to a bolter here, gets four more as he cuts hard and carves it over short third. 

LSG vs RCB Live Score: A fast bowler's dream! An excellent fast bouncer that rings off Breetzke's helmet and runs away from four. After the concussion check, Thushara comes back with a searing yorker, just shaping away with his unique action, and the off-stump goes cartwheeling. Majestic bowling. 25-1.

LSG vs RCB Live Score: Krunal Pandya comes in, spin early against two overseas openers. Floats one down leg-side, and Breetzke can clear his front leg and calmly loft it over mid-on. Good batting.

LSG vs RCB Live Score: What are RCB's fielders thinking there? Mitchell Marsh very evidently gets a thick inside edge onto his pads, but RCB take the review. No surprise, he's almost middled that one. Not out.

Thushara bowls a beauty to Breetzke, but the Protea gets a good hit on it as he clips it through the midwicket region for four. 11-0 after the first.

LSG vs RCB Live Score: Set to go now. Mitchell Marsh with a new opening partner, on Matthew Breetzke's debut, a different South African to his usual partner.

The slingy Nuwan Thushara with the new ball on his own season debut. Here we go!

LSG vs RCB Live Score: Lungi Ngidi also heads off, and David's hamstring keeps him out.

RCB's playing XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Mayank Agarwal, Jitesh Sharma (c&wk), Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara Suyash Sharma

Bench: Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar, Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh, Tim Seifert

LSG vs RCB Live Score: A couple of changes for LSG, including Rathi coming in and Breetzke getting a chance to debut as Markram heads off for international duty.

LSG's playing XI: Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c&wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Will O'Rourke

Bench: Akash SIngh, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuvraj Chaughary, Arshin Kulkarni

LSG vs RCB Live Score: So Jitesh Sharma at the toss as Rajat Patidar continues to miss out through injury, but Jitesh confirms he will come in for the chase. Good toss for RCB to win, but they miss Tim David and Lungi Ngidi. No Hazlewood today either, Nuwan Thushara in for him.

Team news next.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: Almost at the toss now. What do RCB have in store? It's in their hands, and there have been jokes about RCB not performing under stress situations. But this team feels a little different. 

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: While a lot of focus has been on RCB and what they need to do heading into the playoffs, LSG also have some questions to answer ahead of next year's tournament. In particular, they need to crack their batting balance in a way that allows them to invest more money into a bowling unit that has lacked star power. Can some players step up to make a case for themselves to be in the picture next year, particularly amongst the pace bowlers?

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: Teams warming up on the field and it's not too long from the toss now. Rishabh Pant and Rajat Patidar will head to the middle, and both will want their strongest teams in the middle for this contest. Evening game, expect the winning captain to opt to chase.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: While RCB did concede 231 to SRH in their previous match at Ekana, the slow-ish pitch and large dimensions means it usually isn't the most run-friendly. LSG, though, have batters who can make that irrelevant. Nonetheless, RCB will back their batters to put pressure on LSG's bowling, and hold LSG to a sub-200 score, closer to 180.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: It's been a pretty quiet season for Rajat Patidar, who has averaged 23 and struck at sub-140 through IPL 2025. Given the responsibility he was given ahead of this tournament, more will be expected with the bat by Patidar to stitch together this RCB lineup. Now, when it matters the most, he will need to perform for his team, and his relatively tame season will be easily forgiven.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: Marsh scored a phenomenal 112 in LSG's previous game, and with RCB's lead bowler capable of moving it off a length, Mrash's ability to hit off that length will majorly come into play. Marsh has repeatedly provided terrific starts for LSG, and RCB might find their batting difficult to contain if he does again. How this battle of the Aussies goes early in the LSG innings will be absolutely key.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: Virat Kohli has somewhat faded from the Orange Cap race, and will be hoping to find some form in time for the playoffs, where his experience and quality will really need to shine through for RCB's hopes of lifting the title.

Kohli is on a run of 5 innings with 40+ scores, four of which were half-centuries. He will be in search of a big one tonight.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: The last time these two teams faced off was in 2024, and a match that is perhaps most memorable for the golden delivery that Mayank Yadav bowled to Cam Green. In a 26-run LSG win, Mayank took three wickets and showed off his 150+ klicks calibre. No Mayank today, though, having been ruled out through injury.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: Having played on five occasions since LSG's inception, RCB hold a slight advantage, having beaten LSG three times while LSG have won twice. This, however, is their first and only meeting this season, with LSG attempting to level things up with a victory.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: RCB not the only team with some help to their bowling unit, as LSG recall Digvesh Rathi after the spinner served his suspension in the previous game. Rathi has been LSG's key bowler all tournament, and he will be one player that could really mess up RCB's forward-thinking plans. How they manage to keep him quiet and attack him through the middle will be key — but you do feel Rathi isn't done filling up his notebook quite yet.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: LSG have kind of had the opposite ending to the season to RCB, from vaguely similar positions halfway through. While RCB won four in a row then lost, LSG lost four in a row before playing one of their better games of the season to beat Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Their batting was on song on that occasion, with Mitchell Marsh notching his first IPL century. They will have a lot more confidence, and will have the desire to end the season with a win after an up-and-down year.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: RCB have been based in Lucknow for about a week now, but won't have the fondest memories after crashing and burning against Hyderabad at the same venue, where Ishan Kishan played a starring knock to interrupt their momentum. They conceded 231 on that occasion, and will be wary of a similarly powerful lineup against them. 

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: A positive for RCB heading into this match is the return of Josh Hazlewood. While their bowling attack is well-rounded, Hazlewood has been their talisman with 18 wickets in 10 innings. After recovering from injury and getting up to speed back home in Australia, his presence for this match will be monumental to RCB's hopes of winning the game — particularly how he bowls to countryman Mitch Marsh as well as Nicholas Pooran.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: RCB's away form has been unprecedented, winning each of their first six away games in this tournament. Preserving that kind of form is unheard of, and although they have already lost at the Ekana Stadium, that was a neutral venue match. To put away LSG would be a boost to achieve that piece of IPL history — and to boot, they would get to play Punjab Kings at the Mullanpur Stadium in the first qualifier, essentially an away game as well.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: Things are pretty straightforward from an RCB perspective: win and finish either first or second, set to play in the first qualifier and get two chances at the final. Lose and stay in third, and be forced to fight through the gauntlet of the eliminator. The singificance of finishing in the top two cannot be downplayed, and after several years of having been eliminated in that game, RCB will be keen to avoid it in 2025.

LSG vs RCB Live Updates: It has been a long, long journey to get here, but finally, we are ready to wrap up the league phase of IPL 2025. For the playoff picture, it comes down to this, RCB's result. And for them, winning against Lucknow Super Giants is a non-negotiable. Promises to be a firecracker. Who is your money on? All the updates, right here.