Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Lucknow Super Giants (LSG):
In the exciting 54th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Punjab Kings delivered a stunning blow to Lucknow Super Giants, emerging victorious by 37 runs. This win catapulted Punjab to the second spot on the points table. Lucknow, opting to bowl first after winning the toss, faced a formidable target of 237, spearheaded by Prabhsimran's explosive 91-run innings. Lucknow's reply with the bat fell short, managing only 199 runs for 7 wickets.
Lucknow's Challenging Chase
Chasing a daunting target of 237, Lucknow's innings started on a shaky note. They suffered an early setback in the third over when Mitchell Marsh succumbed to Arshdeep's brilliance without scoring. Aiden Markram soon followed, bowled by Arshdeep for a brisk 13. Lucknow suffered a massive jolt when Nicholas Pooran departed, leaving the team to rely heavily on their skipper, Pant. Once again, Pant disappointed, contributing only 18 runs before losing his wicket. The fifth dismissal came in the 10th over with David Miller, leaving Lucknow in further trouble. However, a spirited partnership of 81 runs off 41 balls between Abdul Samad and Ayush Badoni offered a glimmer of hope. Yet, Samad departed for 45 in the 16th over, leaving Ayush to hold the fort. Ayush produced an exceptional innings of 70 off 40 balls, but his dismissal in the final over sealed Lucknow's fate, granting Punjab a commanding win.
Punjab's Strategic Batting
Punjab's innings commenced with a minor hiccup as Priyansh Arya fell cheaply for 1 in the first over to Aakash Maharaj Singh. However, what followed was a masterclass of power hitting by Prabhsimran Singh and Josh Inglis. Inglis was particularly aggressive, smashing a hat-trick of sixes before falling prey to Aakash in the 5th over. On the other end, Prabhsimran stood resilient, reaching his half-century in just 30 balls. Punjab received a minor setback in the 13th over as Ayyer departed for 45 off 25, dismissed by Digvesh. Nehal Wadhara displayed fine batting skills but succumbed to Prince Yadav in the 16th over after contributing 16 runs. Prabhsimran's splendid knock of 91 off 48 balls, adorned with 6 fours and 7 sixes, set an imposing target for Lucknow.
Punjab Kings Playing XI:
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Josh Inglis (Wicketkeeper), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhara, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh.
Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI:
Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper/Captain), Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Aakash Maharaj Singh, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav.
LSG Team: Rishabh Pant (Captain/Wicketkeeper), David Miller, Aiden Markram, Aryan Juyal, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breitzke, Nicholas Pooran (Wicketkeeper), Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuvraj Choudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni, Ayush Badoni, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Aakash Deep, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Aakash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi.
PBS Team: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhara, Glenn Maxwell, Vishak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Kuldeep Sen, Payla Avinash, Suryansh Shedege, Musheer Khan, Harnur Pannu, Aaron Hardy, Priyansh Arya, Azmatullah Omarzai.
