In the IPL 2026 match on May 7, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fell short against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by nine runs while chasing a target of 213 runs. Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan criticized RCB's openers, Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar, for their cautious approach during the powerplay, where RCB managed only 40 runs after 5.4 overs. This slow start led to a challenging run chase, leaving RCB always behind in the required run rate. Padikkal scored 34 runs off 25 balls, while Patidar contributed 61 runs off 31 balls. Zaheer highlighted that the early wickets taken by LSG, who lost no wickets in their powerplay, made a significant difference in the match outcome. He also praised LSG's captain Rishabh Pant for making the right decision to have Digvesh Rathi bowl the final over, despite his earlier struggles in the match. Rathi successfully restricted RCB to just nine runs in that over, sealing the victory for LSG and keeping their playoff hopes alive with three wins out of ten matches.