The final league match of IPL 2025 needed drama—and fans got plenty of it! In the clash between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Jitesh Sharma was almost set to have his name added to Digvesh Rathi's 'notebook'—twice. But luck was on Jitesh's side, and a good deed from Rishabh Pant helped him escape the second time.

This came after the timeout and Jitesh Sharma was on 49. The RCB's stand-in captain attempted a reverse sweep off Digvesh Rathi in the 16.1 over and was caught low at backward point by Ayush Badoni. As LSG celebrated, the third umpire was called to check the catch. Just then, the siren went off—it was a no-ball! Rathi had overstepped, with his back foot cutting the return crease. All the excitement, including Rathi's trademark signature on the grass, went to waste. It was a huge let-off for Jitesh, who had been on the verge of getting out twice to Rathi in the same match.

Digvesh Rathi literally celebrated and it was a NO ball 😭#RCBvsLSG pic.twitter.com/e5gHNu7AaY

— Prawexh (@pracastic) May 27, 2025

Later in the same over, a run-out attempt at the non-striker's end saw Jitesh Sharma caught well outside his crease. LSG stood by the appeal, but in a commendable act of sportsmanship, Rishabh Pant withdrew it. Replays showed Jitesh's bat was in the air when the stumps were broken—he would have been out. Jitesh immediately hugged Pant in gratitude, creating a memorable and dramatic moment late in the match.

Allowed rcb to change team sheet after a blunder from jitesh

Denied mankad wicket
Rishabh boiii❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/EYqnJNhCj6

— Vishnu🚩 (@vishnuxone8) May 27, 2025

RCB chased down their highest-ever IPL total with 8 balls to spare, thanks to a stunning knock from Jitesh Sharma that sealed their spot in Qualifier 1. They will now face Punjab Kings (PBKS) on May 29 at at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Suyash Sharma
Impact Subs: Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh  

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Avesh Khan, William ORourke
Impact Subs: Akash Maharaj Singh, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshin Kulkarni, Yuvraj Chaudhary