Marsh's majestic hundred powers LSG to win over RCB in tough season

Mitchell Marsh's majestic hundred (111 off 56) powered Lucknow Super Giants to a 9-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Marsh and skipper Rishabh Pant called the win crucial after a difficult season, praising the team's complete performance.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) star opening batter Mitchell Marsh, following a majestic hundred against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, said it has been a difficult season, but he was pleased with the team finally ending up on the winning side against RCB.

After scoring a match-winning century, Marsh described that the pitch looked better than expected, so his approach was to maximise the powerplay and provide a strong start. He felt LSG's batting unit had performed well in the last two matches and believed they were only slightly short of a bigger total in the previous game against Mumbai. Marsh especially praised the bowling effort against RCB, calling it brave and courageous, and said he was proud of the young players for successfully defending the score.

Put to bat first, a century from Marsh (111 in 56 balls, with nine fours and nine sixes) powered LSG to 209/3 in 19 overs in a rain-truncated inning. RCB was given 213 to chase by the DLS method and lost their openers within nine runs.

'Disappointing season, but still a lot to play for'

"It has (been a tough season). Nice to get on the right side of the game and get a win. Disappointing season, but still a lot to play for. A few of the Indian boys said the day before that it (the pitch) looked a bit better. I just tried to get as many as I could in the powerplay and get us off to a good start. Have an impact on the game. In the last two games, we have batted really well. Probably 10-15 (runs) short in Mumbai on a really good wicket. Tonight, we were courageous with the ball. Proud of some of the young guys in the squad to be able to defend that," Marsh said after the match.

RCB slipped to their second successive loss, as an excellent spell from Prince Yadav and a century from Marsh helped LSG beat them by nine runs at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Thursday.

Pant hails 'unbelievable' Marsh, bowling unit

LSG skipper Rishabh Pant said the victory over RCB was very important for the team after a difficult season. He explained that the squad had been experimenting with different combinations and strategies, and finally performing together as a unit was a satisfying step forward. Pant admitted the campaign has been challenging, but felt such tough phases are part of the journey and help the team grow. He highlighted that the team had been aiming to deliver a complete performance where both batting and bowling clicked together, and believed this match achieved that balance. Pant also hailed Marsh, calling his innings unbelievable and acknowledging the hard work the team has continued to put in despite setbacks. He emphasised that the bowling attack has been the side's biggest strength this season, appreciating the commitment shown by the bowlers and expressing confidence in building on those positives going forward.

"It was a good game for us for sure. For the whole team, it means a lot. We have been trying a lot of things. Coming to the same page means a lot for us. It's been a tough season, but sometimes you have to go through the grind. Definitely, we were trying to put together a perfect game where batting and bowling come together. It was a tough call. We were under pressure. Rathi was the right matchup for Shepherd. Unbelievable (Marsh innings). We know that as a team, we've been grinding hard. Our strength this season has been bowling, the way all the bowlers have put their hearts out. There have been some good things as a bowling unit, and looking forward to that," Pant said after the match.

With this win, LSG has secured its third victory of the season, with seven losses to go with it. They remain at the bottom of the table. RCB has slipped to third spot, losing their fourth game of the competition. (ANI)

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