AUSTRALIA's Mitchell Marsh hit 111 to help Lucknow Super Giants beat defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru by nine runs in a rain-hit IPL match on Thursday.
Marsh's 56-ball innings, including nine fours and nine sixes, guided Lucknow to 209-3 in a reduced 19-overs-a-side contest at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
Bengaluru, chasing a revised target of 213, lost wickets early as Virat Kohli was dismissed for a second-ball duck by Prince Yadav after Mohammed Shami removed Jacob Bethell for four.
Prince bowled a delivery that came back in and hit Kohli's off stump as the batter looked surprised. The fast bowler celebrated after the wicket and finished with figures of 3-33 from four overs.
Captain Rajat Patidar scored 61 off 31 balls, while impact substitute Tim David made 40 from 17 balls to keep Bengaluru in the chase.
Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd then added an unbeaten stand of 45 runs, with Krunal making 28 and Shepherd scoring 23, but leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi defended 20 runs in the final over.
Bengaluru ended on 203-6 and suffered their fourth defeat in 10 matches. They remain third in the 10-team table and are still in contention for the playoffs.
Lucknow registered their first win after six losses and kept their playoff hopes alive.
"Nice to get on the right side of the game and get a win," player of the match Marsh said. "Disappointing season but still a lot to play for."
The top four teams at the end of the league stage qualify for the playoffs.
Marsh attacked the Bengaluru bowlers throughout his innings and brought up his second hundred of the T20 tournament in 49 balls with a boundary off Romario Shepherd after the second rain delay.
"Mitchell Marsh was beautiful, the way he played," Bengaluru captain Patidar said.
"And especially in the powerplay, he kept us under pressure. I was confused about the bowlers - who should I bowl to Mitchell Marsh just after the powerplay."
Marsh added 95 runs for the opening wicket with Arshin Kulkarni, who scored 17, and then shared a 70-run partnership with Nicholas Pooran, who made 38.
Marsh was eventually dismissed by fellow Australian Josh Hazlewood, who took one wicket and conceded 49 runs in four overs.
Pooran continued the scoring before Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant finished unbeaten on 32 off 10 balls.
(With inputs from agencies)
