IPL 2025: Jitesh Sharma Breaks MS Dhoni's Seven-Year-Old Record, RCB Stand-In Captain Enters Elite List With Vintage Show Against LSG

Royal Challengers Bengaluru booked a spot in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 with a resounding win over Lucknow Super Giants in the final. With an eye on the ultimate prize, RCB will now take on Shreyas Iyer's Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on May 29, Mallanpur.

RCB Crushed Lucknow Super Giants To Secure Qualifier 1 Spot

Rishabh Pant's second IPL century powered LSG to 227 runs. The Lucknow Super Giants captain almost delivered a sensational blow to RCB's top two hopes with a brilliant knock of 61-ball 118. Mitchell Marsh kept his sensational form alive with a 37-ball 67 as LSG batters made merry on a tricky Lucknow pitch. Despite Phil Salt and Virat Kohli's 61-run partnership. Virat also became the only player in cricket history to register 9000 T20 runs for a single team. Stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma and Mayank Agarwal turned the match in their favour with a solid partnership. Sharma remained not out with a match-winning 33-ball 85, and RCB will now have a chance to get their hands on that coveted IPL trophy.

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Jitesh Sharma Smashed MS Dhoni's IPL Record

Jitesh Sharma's knock helped him to create a new IPL record, which was held by none other than CSK captain MS Dhoni. The RCB stand-in captain has now scored the most runs by a batter batting at number six or lower during a chase in the IPL. Incidentally, Dhoni's innings of 70 came against RCB back in 2018. RCB also became the first team in IPL history to win all seven away matches this campaign. RCB's home form was competitively poor as they could manage only three wins at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Also Read: 'We Respect It': Royal Challengers Bengaluru Keep The RCB-LSG Rivalry Alive With A Subtle Dig At Avesh Khan After Storming Into Qualifier 1 Of IPL 2025

RCB lost to the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator last year and will get two chances this season, having finished in the second position. If they do lose their match against Qualifier 1, they will get a chance to face the winner of the Eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans in the Qualifier 2.