The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 witnessed yet another last-ball thriller as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) made a late comeback to stun Rajasthan Royals (RR) and secure a two-run win in Match 36 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Courtesy of the win, LSG moved into the top four on the points table with five wins in eight games, which meant that all the top four teams were tied with 10 points each at the end of Saturday's action.

RR were cruising with just 25 runs needed off 19 deliveries, before Player of the Match Avesh Khan produced a three-wicket haul (3/37) and defended nine runs off the last over to win it for LSG.

Aiden Markram led LSG’s efforts with the bat after skipper Rishabh Pant elected to bat after winning the toss.

RR struck the early blows, dismissing the dangerous and in-form duo of Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran inside the powerplay itself. While Jofra Archer got the better of Marsh (4 off 6) with Shimron Hetmyer gobbling up a well-judged high catch in the second over, Sandeep Sharma trapped Pooran in front in the sixth over, and LSG were 46/2.

Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed Pant cheaply (3 off 9) soon after as Dhruv Jurel took a superb juggling catch behind the stumps in the absence of regular wicket-keeper and full-time captain Sanju Samson due to an injury.

 

 

 

 

 

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Through it all, Markram stood tall, bringing up his fifty in 32 deliveries as well as a 50-run stand with Ayush Badoni, taking LSG to 105/3 after 12 overs. Hasaranga struck again to dismiss Markram for an impressive 45-ball 66 and end a 76-run stand. At 131/4 with only four overs to go, LSG needed a big push in the slog overs.

Badoni brought up a well-crafted 50 before walking back on the next delivery, but the final flourish came courtesy of Abdul Samad. A 27-run final over from Sandeep saw Samad smashing four massive sixes to take LSG to 180/5 at the end of 20 overs.

That's how you wrap up an innings 💥

🎥 Abdul Samad went into slam mode to take #LSG to a total of 180/5 💪

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/02MS6ICvQl#TATAIPL | #RRvLSG | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/mTQjKq3r5E

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 19, 2025

A special piece of history was created even before RR played the first ball of their innings. At the age of 14, Vaibhav Suryavanshi took to the crease with fellow opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal to become the youngest debutant in TATA IPL history.

Come the fourth ball off the chase, Suryavanshi hammered a huge six over cover off Shardul Thakur on what was the first ball of his IPL career, leaving everyone watching awestruck. He backed it up with another maximum off Avesh Khan in the next over.

 

 

 

 

 

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Jaiswal was on song from the get-go himself, and the duo took RR to 61/0 in the powerplay itself. Jaiswal brought up a breezy 31-ball 50, his third in a row, before Suryavanshi's special ended with a 20-ball 34 (two fours, three sixes) with Markram striking for LSG. RR lost Nitish Rana in the next over, but Jaiswal and stand-in skipper Riyan Parag took RR to a comfortable position with a 62-run partnership. 

With just 25 needed off three overs, came another huge twist in the tale. Two more quick wickets, of Jaiswal (74 off 52) and Parag (39 off 26), respectively, saw the equation coming down to 19 off 11 deliveries. Hetmyer's 12 off 7 meant that RR needed only six runs in four deliveries during Avesh Khan's final over, but more drama was in store.

Middle stump uprooted 💥

Avesh Khan brings an end to Yashasvi Jaiswal's knock of 74 (52).

Can #LSG capitalize on this momentum shift?

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/02MS6ICvQl#TATAIPL | #RRvLSG | @LucknowIPL pic.twitter.com/rYpy8q79KF

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 19, 2025

Hetmyer hit a low full toss straight to Thakur at backward square leg to walk back, before Khan nailed a couple of yorkers to see LSG through to a narrow two-run victory.

The full scorecard and match details can be found here.