A maiden IPL hundred by skipper Shreyas Iyer (101*) and a fifty from Prabhsimran Singh (69) propelled Punjab Kings to a 7-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants, successfully chasing 197 to move to fourth place in the standings.
A majestic maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) hundred by Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer and a fluent fifty from Prabhsimran Singh powered PBKS to a commanding 7-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Saturday night in Lucknow. Iyer slammed 101 runs off 51 balls, laced with 11 fours and 5 sixes, while he got vital support from Prabhsimran, who smashed 69 runs off 39 balls. With this victory, Punjab Kings moved up to fourth place in the standings with 15 points, following their final group-stage match.
PBKS Chase: Iyer and Prabhsimran Dominate
Chasing 197, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh opened the innings for PBKS. Mohammed Shami gave PBKS a massive blow in the first over as he removed Arya for a golden duck. Shami struck in his following over again, removing Cooper Connolly for 18 bringing skipper Shreyas Iyer to the crese.
The duo then steadied the innings for the visitors, taking them to 65-2. Prabhsimran and Iyer slammed boundaries at regular intervals, taking the score to 105-2 after 10 overs.
In the 12th over, Prabhsimran brought up his 6th fifty of the season after pushing the ball for a single off Mohsin Khan's over.
In the following over, skipper Iyer also brought up his 6th fifty of the season after pushing the ball for a single off Digvesh Rathi's over. Meanwhile, Iyer also completed 7000 T20 runs. Prabhsimran Singh (549 in 2025 & 500* in 2026) also became the first uncapped Indian player to aggregate 500-plus runs in multiple IPL seasons.
The duo continued their assault on Lucknow bowlers, as they raced past 150 in just 14 overs.
However, after getting smashed for 12 runs in the 16th over, Arjun Tendulkar struck and removed Prabhsimran for 69 off 39 balls, laced with 7 fours and two sixes, and Suryansh Shedge joined Iyer at the crease.
Iyer continued his assault as he slammed 20 runs off Shami's over, bringing down the equation to 15 runs in 24 balls. Iyer and Shedge then sealed the match for the visitors in the 18th over as the PBKS skipper slammed a six off the last ball of Khan's over to bring up his maiden IPL hundred.
Inglis, Samad Guide LSG to Competitive Total
Earlier, LSG put up a competitive total of 196/6 against PBKS, riding on key contributions from Josh Inglis and Abdul Samad despite regular breakthroughs from the Punjab bowling attack.
After being asked to bat, Lucknow got off to a flying start as opener Josh Inglis took on PBKS pacer Arshdeep Singh, smashing 16 runs in the opening over. However, the momentum shifted immediately in the next over when Azmatullah Omarzai dismissed Arshin Kulkarni for a golden duck.
In the following over, Marco Jansen struck as he clean bowled Nicholas Pooran for just two runs, leaving LSG struggling at 20/2.
The innings then saw a recovery in the fifth over as Ayush Badoni attacked Marco Jansen, scoring 18 runs off the over to take LSG to 42/2.
He continued the aggressive approach in the next over, hitting Omarzai for 22 runs. Despite the late surge, Lucknow ended the powerplay at 66/2 after losing two quick wickets early on.
During the fourth ball of the seventh over, Yuzvendra Chahal provided the breakthrough by dismissing Ayush Badoni, who walked back after a blistering 43 off 18 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes.
Following Badoni's departure, skipper Rishabh Pant and opener Josh Inglis continued to keep the scoreboard moving with regular boundaries as the hosts reached 100/3 at the end of 10 overs.
In the 14th over, Inglis brought up his half-century in 28 deliveries. However, Chahal struck again to break the 65-run partnership between Pant and Inglis, removing the LSG captain for 26 off 22 balls, an innings featuring three fours. At that stage, Lucknow were 134/4.
Runs continued to flow after Pant's dismissal as Lucknow made 157/4 in 16 overs. However, on the final delivery of the 17th over, all-rounder Shashank Singh claimed the crucial wicket of opener Josh Inglis, who departed after a well-compiled 72 off 44 balls, an innings laced with nine fours and two sixes. At that stage, the Super Giants were 169/5.
In the following over, Jansen got his second wicket as he removed Mukul Choudhary for one.
During the final over, Arshdeep Singh conceded 17 runs as LSG posted a competitive total of 196/6. Abdul Samad remained unbeaten on a quickfire 37 off 20 balls, smashing three fours and as many sixes.
For Punjab Kings, Yuzvendra Chahal (2/25), Marco Jansen (2/33), Azmatullah Omarzai (1/29) and Shashank Singh (1/29) were among the wicket-takers. (ANI)
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