Pant’s Explosive Century Puts Up Massive Challenge for RCB!

In the final league match of the IPL 2025 season, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) posted a formidable total against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), powered by a devastating unbeaten century from their captain Rishabh Pant. Lucknow, batting first after losing the toss, reached 227 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

RCB captain Jitesh Sharma won the toss and chose to field. Lucknow faced an early setback when opener Matthew Breetzke was clean bowled by Nuwan Thushara for 14 runs off 12 balls, including one four and one six, at the team score of 25.

Mitchell Marsh then joined captain Rishabh Pant at the crease, and the duo launched a counterattack against the RCB bowlers. Pant played in his characteristic aggressive style, peppering the field with boundaries and sixes, while Marsh maintained a brisk scoring rate. The pair stitched together a massive 152-run partnership for the second wicket. This stand was broken by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who dismissed Marsh after he scored 67 runs off 37 deliveries, including 4 fours and 5 sixes, with Jitesh Sharma taking the catch.

Nicholas Pooran, who came in next, could not contribute much and was dismissed for 13 runs off 10 balls, giving a catch to Yash Dayal off Romario Shepherd’s bowling. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant continued to dominate from one end. He remained unbeaten on 118 runs from just 61 balls, hitting 11 fours and 8 towering sixes, playing a pivotal role in setting the massive total. Abdul Samad, who faced the final delivery of the innings, remained not out with a single run.

Among the RCB bowlers, Nuwan Thushara was the most economical, conceding just 26 runs in his 4 overs and claiming one wicket. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Romario Shepherd took one wicket each but were expensive. Yash Dayal leaked 44 runs in 3 overs, and Suyash Sharma gave away 39 runs in his 3 overs. Krunal Pandya bowled 2 overs, conceding 14 runs.

Following his century, Rishabh Pant celebrated by placing his bat and helmet aside and performing a somersault, which captivated the audience.