Live Report: Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2022 Eliminator, Kolkata

They were in it going into the last four, but faltered after losing Stoinis and Rahul. Royal Challengers Bangalore, who couldn't get past the Eliminator in the last two editions, are now a step further. They will play Rajasthan Royals in Q2 in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Teaser from Sidharth Monga's bulletin: The star of the show: Rajat Patidar, who came in mid-season as cover for an injury to Luvnith Sisodia and scored a sensational unbeaten 112 off 54 to propel RCB into the second Qualifier. There was an element of fate to Patidar’s innings: he had already done a grand job but since he was dropped in the 16th over, he scored 40 off 14 balls. His partner in carnage, Dinesh Karthik, too survived a close lbw before scoring and a dropped catch on two before putting together 92 in 6.5 overs.

Lucknow Super Giants will rue those dropped catches because they came close in the end. Almost throughout the innings their worm stayed ahead of RCB’s, but 84 in the last five overs was too tough an act to follow. LSG captain KL Rahul’s innings will divide opinion: he stayed conservative till the ask reached 99 off seven overs, and his jump from 48 off 42 to 79 off 58 proved to be not enough.

The 18th over started with six wides, but Harshal has since bounced back superbly to concede just two more along with the wicket of Marcus Stoinis. LSG need 33 off 12, and their win percentage drops from 25.15 to 11.75

Rahul's premeditation brings him the rewards as he lays into Hasaranga. Getting inside the line and then using the length to either sweep or pull have brought him the rewards. Hasaranga has bowled out but his four overs have gone for 42, including a 14-run final over. LSG now need 41 off 18. ESPNcricinfo's predictor gives them a 25.75% chance of winning.

RCB have two overs of Harshal Patel left.

Deepak Hooda was starting to line him up. After walloping him for two towering sixes in the over, Hooda is bowled despite picking the wrong'un. That is because he attempted the slog sweep too early, and Hasaranga's dip and turn was enough to beat him as the ball crashed into the stumps.45 off 26 for Hooda. LSG's chances of winning has gone up a bit to 11.93% now.

The over went for 18 and got the wicket. With the kind of batting power still left for LSG, don't think they'll mind.

With 99 needed off 42, he clears his front leg to biff Josh Hazlewood for six over deep midwicket to bring up his half-century. He sat back and waited for Hazlewood to hit the hard length before his instincts took over. At the moment, ESPNcricinfo predictor gives LSG just an 8.15% chance of winning.

Is it the over that signals change in momentum?

It's a game of fine margins. And Wanindu Hasaranga may have just saved RCB five runs.

Harshal Patel's short ball is upper over the infield. Hasaranga runs around the ropes from third man, some 20-25 yards, and is on the move as he grabs the ball. He tries to parry it to the fielder coming in from the infield, but because he's so far in, he holds off. But Hasaranga realises he has to put in a slide because of the momentum, and in doing so there's a chance his backfoot may touch the skirting. And as he loses balance, he just manages to release the ball a microsecond before his boot touched the skirting. And that's five runs saved as a result because Hooda and Rahul were ball watching and hoped that would be a six.

Hasaranga held the ball for more than three seconds, but because he wasn't in control, it couldn't have been out. Either way, that was an outstanding effort.

A small group of fans was shouting LSG LSG LSG, and they had barely managed to do so for five seconds when the vast majority of the crowd drowned them out with RCB RCB. At 8.30, the CAB had announced an attendance of 56,000 today. Yesterday's Qualifier - which you might think is the more high-profile game - brought in 47,700 fans. It's interesting that RCB - like CSK and Mumbai - have fanbases all around the country.

Deepak Hooda has come out playing his shots. Rahul has just shifted gears. After eight overs, ESPNcricinfo's predictor gives LSG a 17.2% chance of victory even though they're ahead of where RCB were after eight overs. LSG 79/2. Hasaranga's four overs could be the defining moment. He has the most wickets in the middle overs this season, and he'll come on any moment.

After a subdued start to the chase, KL Rahul takes the attack to Mohammed Siraj in the sixth over.

In chases so far this season, Rahul has managed just 148 runs at a strike rate of 106. This is in stark contrast to his 450 runs in the first innings at nearly 149. LSG's 62/2 is their second-best PP score this season.

Shahbaz was denied a wicket when Dinesh Karthik missed a regulation stumping to reprieve Manan Vohra in the fourth over. In the fifth, after Vohra takes Hazlewood apart for 4 and 6, Shahbaz dives forward to complete a good low catch to send Vohra back as Lucknow Super Giants lose two inside the powerplay.

140* a week ago to get Lucknow Super Giants into the top-two (They were eventually pipped by Royals on NRR).

First-over dismissal today, a ball after he opened his scoring with a nonchalant flick for six. Such is life. Lucknow Super Giants up against it right from the outset in a tall chase.

First century in T20 cricket. Off 49 balls. With his team under pressure. He's had some luck, but he has deserved it. One ball prior to the pull that brought him the century, Patidar was put down by a back-pedalling Manan Vohra from short third off a leading edge.

Six years ago, he sat at home recovering from ACL surgery while the IPL was on. He dreamt of playing in it one day as a bowling allrounder. Here he is now, having made a name for himself as RCB's number three. Incredible.

DK off Rahul.

Hooda off Patidar.

On 72, a ball after he had just pumped Bishnoi over deep midwicket, Patidar looks for the pull shot again but doesn't connect. The cringe as he made contact told you he hadn't timed it well. Hooda came in from the ropes, did all the hard work in getting to the ball and then spilled it. Carnage here as the over is taken for 27.

Mohsin Khan was brought back exactly for this. No boundary from the 12-over mark. Dinesh Karthik gets a leading edge with KL Rahul circling around at mid-off. He does well to get to the ball but in putting in a dive, his elbows hit the turf as the ball spills out. How expensive will that prove to be? Karthik was on 4 off 7 then. Only an over earlier, Rahul took a good low catch to dismiss Lomror. Ah, well. Cricket a leveller and all that. RCB's predicted score is currently 172.

Maxwell gone? No problem.

RCB continue to push for boundaries, even if it means there's the odd risk. Like the one Patidar took when he exposed all three stumps to Chameera, who went yorker and nearly nailed it. But because Patidar was so deep inside the crease, he was still able to get underneath the length to slice it nearly one-handed for a boundary over cover. Lomror then helps himself to two boundaries - one to fine leg via a pull and another steered through a vacamt short third man region. RCB chugging along at 106 for 3 off 12.

One ball, they're all up cheeering wildly for Patidar's 28-ball fifty that has given RCB a solid platform. Two balls later, there are hands on heads in the RCB dug out as Maxwell toe-ends a pull to long leg. He was looking to get inside the line to pull Krunal away, but picked out the bigger boundary. RCB in need of a rebuild now courtesy Patidar and Mahipal Lomror.

Yet another patchy knock from Kohli where he just managed to strike over 100 in the 24 balls he faced. He started well against pace, but just couldn't get Krunal away. Patidar's ultra-aggression at the end allowed him some breathing space, but his innings ends with an uncharacteristic stroke. Backs away a long way to slash, Avesh bowls the short ball way outside off. In trying to reach out to play the upper cut, Kohli ends up finding third man. He can't believe what he's done. Yanks his gloves and storms off in disappointment. RCB 77/2 after nine.

MP v MP. That's what Avesh v Patidar is. Both are teammates at Madhya Pradesh. After a quiet first four overs, Rajat Patidar climbs into Avesh Khan. First a crunching cut shot over point which he lifted over the infield by staying underneath the delivery. Then a swat over midwicket to a short delivery that hardly rose as much as he would've liked. Avesh finishes the over well, though, by denying Patidar by cramping him for room.

However, Patidar is in no mood to play himself in. He's sticking to the old philosophy of see-ball-hit-ball as he takes Krunal Pandya to the cleaners in the next over. It was important he do that too, because RCB hadn't maximised the first five overs of the powerplay. They're properly up and running now.

I'm terrible at these correlations, so don't ask me the details.

It's an incredible story. Mohsin was first part of the Mumbai Indians in 2019, but spent three seasons on the bench. Outside of the IPL, however, Mumbai Indians ensured he had access to top training facilities. They provided him access to top-notch physios and trainers all year round, got him to play club and corporate games in Mumbai and ensured they invested in him to make him game-ready should the need arise. Lucknow Super Giants have benefited from that investment this IPL, and how. 14 wickets in nine games at an incredible economy of 5.86.

In the Eliminator, he rocks up and sends back Faf du Plessis with the first ball he faces with a lovely delivery that nips away off the seam. Faf played inside the line as he pushed at the delivery to nick one behind. RCB rocked early. Dream start for Lucknow Super Giants.

"Heads," yelps Faf du Plessis. Tails it is and Lucknow Super Giants will bowl first. "Just want to know how much we need to chase," says KL Rahul. K Gowtham and Jason Holder out. Krunal Pandya and Dushmantha Chameera come back. Rahul says them not able to utilise Holder's batting skills at eight played a part in them looking for a 145+ kph bowler in Chameera as a replacement.

Faf says he wasn't sure what to do, and that RCB were "50-50" about it. Mohammed Siraj comes back in for Siddarth Kaul. "Calmness," says Faf, when asked what the big message has been for them as they try and get out of the Eliminator for the first time in three seasons.

Super Giants: de Kock, Rahul, Lewis, Hooda, Vohra. Stoinis, Pandya, Chameera, Bishnoi, Avesh, Mohsin

RCB: Kohli, Faf, Patidar, Maxwell, DK, Lomror, Shahbaz, Hasaranga, Harshal, Siraj, Hazlewood

Toss at 7.55pm. First ball at 8.10pm. That means a delay of just 40 minutes, assuming there is no more rain.

"The last of the covers is now coming off," pings Karthik Krishnaswamy from Eden Gardens. "Big cheer from the crowd as that happens. Lots of them are holding up their phone torches as well. And the LSG players have immediately come out to warm up.

It's just a fine drizzle at the moment. That means we have had a delay with the toss. But worry not, there's plenty of time to make-up. The match can begin as late as 9.40pm and we could still have a full 20-overs-a-side contest. Here's Nagraj Gollapudi with all the playing conditions you need to know for the playoffs.

A Super Over will decide the result if any of the playoff matches - including the final - is disrupted by the weather and no play is possible in regulation time.

In case the ground conditions continue to remain unplayable, then the league standings will be used to identify the winners. Should there be no play tonight, then LSG, by virtue of finishing third, will go through. The entire playing area has been covered for now, a practice routinely followed in Sri Lanka.