Virat Kohli shows respect to Mitchell Marsh [Source: X]Mitchell Marsh took over the Ekana Stadium as he hammered a remarkable century while playing for LSG against RCB in the 50th fixture of the IPL 2026 season. His knock forced even Virat Kohli to stand and applaud. LSG, struggling at the bottom of the points table this year, took on defending champions RCB in an important clash at Lucknow. Batting first, the home side touched 209/3 as Marsh had an outing to remember.Virat Kohli applauds Mitchell Marsh’s centuryLSG had a new opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Arshin Kulkarni for this game. While the youngster struggled, Marsh toyed around with the RCB bowlers in the powerplay. He smashed Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya and even Bhuvneshwar Kumar to score an extraordinary century. He was eventually dismissed by Hazlewood on 111 off 56 balls (9 fours and 9 sixes), but by then, Marsh had done his job.He again went for a big shot but only managed to hit the bottom of the bat and holed out to Jacob Bethell as his fantastic knock came to an end in the 17th over.Regardless, Mitchell Marsh walked back to the pavilion to a standing ovation. Apart from LSG fans, even the opposition couldn’t stop adoring Marsh. RCB star Virat Kohli patted Mitchell on the back out of mutual respect to show appreciation towards his fine batting display.Johns. @CricCrazyJohns NICE GESTURE BY KOHLI 😍 - He is showing the respect for a great innings of Mitchell Marsh. May 7, 2026, 10:25 PM Kohli watched all his shots from the field and couldn’t help but applaud his terrific century. Despite being on the other side, Virat Kohli showed great sportsmanship, and that won the fans’ hearts on social media.Also Read - Virat Kohli Sings Praises For Bhuvneshwar KumarRCB tasked to chase a steep totalThat being said, Virat Kohli will now have to replicate what Mitchell Marsh did for LSG. RCB are tasked to chase down 213 runs as the target has been revised per the DLS method.The first innings faced multiple rain breaks, and the game was reduced to 19 overs per side. Hence, RCB will be under a lot of pressure in the chase.Moreover, they will need their star batter Virat Kohli to fire. The 37-year-old has been in great form in IPL 2026, scoring three fifties already as an opener. If he can dominate the powerplay, RCB will back itself to chase it down.Also, due to rain, the outfield is wet, meaning LSG bowlers will have a tough time in the second innings as well.Rishabh Pant regains touchApart from Mitchell Marsh, LSG also saw a glimpse of a comeback from their captain, Rishabh Pant. The skipper scored a quick 32* off 10 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes to push Lucknow to a 200+ run total.Pant had been under tremendous pressure as he was not only performing with the bat but also failing as captain to lead LSG to victories. Also Read - Why BCCI Move IPL 2026 Final Out Of Bengaluru? Reason Revealed OfficiallyNow, this small cameo will help him regain confidence, and if Lucknow manages to beat RCB, Rishabh Pant will redeem himself as captain to an extent.Overall, the chase is expected to be an entertaining contest, given the weather gods don’t play spoilsport.Follow RCB vs LSG Live Updates for the latest IPL 2026 scorecard
