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Stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma conjured up a rollicking unbeaten 85 to propel Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to an unprecedented feat that no team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has accomplished before.
Playing their last league match of IPL 2025 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, RCB orchestrated a compelling six-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants. After completing a 228-run target heist with eight balls to spare, the touring party gunned down their highest successful chase and the third-highest total in IPL history. RCB accomplished an unprecedented milestone with the triumph, winning all seven away matches this season. The Royal Challengers became the first-ever team to brag an unbeaten away record in a season that follows the home-and-away format. Notably, both Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) attained seven wins in the 2012 season but lost a game each away from their home den. With the impressive win, RCB finished second on the points table for the first time since 2016. They finished the group stage with 19 points, the same as Punjab, but the net run rate of +0.30 put them behind the Shreyas Iyer-led side. RCB's triumph marked the second successful 200-plus chase in T20s at Lucknow's venue after Sunrisers Hyderabad gunned down 206 against the hosts on May 19. During Bengaluru's record chase, Lucknow bowlers conceded runs heavily, but New Zealand tearaway Will O'Rourke had a night to forget. He scalped two wickets but conceded 74 runs in his four-over spell, the third-most expensive in the tournament's history. Bengaluru's heist was filled with ups and downs. Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant's rollicking 118 lifted the hosts to a herculean 227/3. In reply, Virat Kohli and Phil Salt laid the foundation by exploiting Lucknow bowlers in the powerplay. Stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma (85*) and Mayank Agarwal (41*) picked up the momentum and steered Bengaluru to the franchise's highest run-chase in the tournament's history. After finishing second in the group standings, Bengaluru has booked a date with Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on Thursday, while Gujarat will square off against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on Friday. (ANI)
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