The final league clash of the 2025 IPL campaign will take place on Tuesday 27 May at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, in the form of Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru. RCB arrive third on the table with 17 points, needing a victory to keep a top-two finish within reach, while LSG, are lying sixth on 12 points. Both camps tasted contrasting fortunes last week: the Giants stunned leaders Gujarat Titans by 33 runs, powered by a Mitchell Marsh century while Bengaluru leaked 231 to Sunrisers Hyderabad and lost by 42 runs.
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Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Match Preview
Lucknow finally rediscovered their batting muscle in Ahmedabad, piling up 235-2 as Marsh bludgeoned 117 from 62 and Nicholas Pooran unloaded 56 unbeaten from 24. Debutant quick Will O’Rourke then seamed out three Titans wickets, underlining why the New Zealander was drafted in after Mayank Yadav’s season-ending back injury.
Yet, despite that statement win, the Giants’ recent sequence still reads one victory in five, and their net run rate sits at -0.337. Consistency has evaporated around an engine-room of Marsh, Pooran, and captain Rishabh Pant, while the bowling has swung between incisive and erratic. The Ekana strip – once slow and abrasive – has quickened late in the campaign, evidenced by Sunrisers and RCB combining for 420 runs, so Lucknow’s spinners must adapt or risk another run-fest slipping away.
Bengaluru’s defeat to Hyderabad was their first away loss of 2025, and it exposed fresh concerns. Phil Salt’s 62 from 32 and Virat Kohli’s fluent 43 kept the chase alive until a middle-order collapse of seven wickets for 16. More worrying was Tim David’s hamstring twinge, Josh Hazlewood’s lingering shoulder niggle and uncertainty over Phil Salt’s availability later in May. Assistant staff it late fitness calls will dictate selection, but skipper Jitesh Sharma insisted the reverse served as a timely wake-up call before the playoffs.
RCB’s batting depth, strike rate of 145 as a team, and positive net run rate of +0.255 remain powerful assets. However, conceding 200-plus twice in four games hints at death-overs leakage – an area Romario Shepherd and company must tighten. They will also lean on wrist-spinner Suyash Sharma to grip the fresh black-soil surface under lights.
Betting Insights
- Moneyline: Per Dafabet, RCB is favoured at 1.65, with LSG at 2.24.
- First-innings runs: Recent Ekana totals have soared beyond 200 twice in two matches; bookmakers have adjusted the par line upward to 184.5.
- Top LSG batter market rates Marsh at 3.95 after his century, with Pooran at 3.80.
- Top RCB batter: Kohli heads the board at 2.92, while Salt is 5.20 subject to fitness updates.
Given the quick outfield and modest boundaries square of the wicket, six-hitting prop bets hold value – the two sides average 11 maximums per innings across their last three outings combined.
Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Lineups
- Lucknow: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (wk, capt), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Will O’Rourke.
- Bengaluru: Phil Salt (wk), Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Jitesh Sharma (capt), Tim David (if fit) / Rajat Patidar, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Lungi Ngidi (if cleared) / Rasikh Dar Salam.
Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Prediction
The contest should hinge on powerplay momentum. Marsh and Markram struck 64 in the first six against Gujarat, whereas RCB rattled 72 without loss versus Hyderabad. With dew forecast to aid chasing, both skippers will fancy bowling first, yet the visitors possess greater firepower to absorb scoreboard pressure.
If Salt is ruled out, Kohli’s ability to anchor becomes critical, but the veteran averages 52 across five visits to Lucknow in franchise cricket. Shepherd’s heavy ball can nullify Marsh at the death, while Suyash’s googlies challenge Pooran’s preference for off-side lofted hitting.
LSG’s attack leans on O’Rourke’s new-ball bounce and Avesh’s yorkers, though the absence of Mayank Yadav removes late-innings pace. Pant’s men also concede 9.6 per over between overs 16 and 20 this season – worst among the current top seven – a window tailor-made for David or Shepherd to close out.
- Most runs: Virat Kohli – his fluency against spin and ability to bat deep suit the Ekana track.
- Result: Royal Challengers Bengaluru to win by six wickets or fourteen runs, sealing a top-two finish probability north of 60 percent.
