Lucknow: Prabhsimran Singh, the opener and wicketkeeper-batter, along with captain Shreyas Iyer, led the Punjab Kings to an impressive 8-wicket victory over the Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
This triumph propelled the Punjab Kings to second place in the points table of the ongoing 18th season of the lucrative league, while the team led by Rishabh Pant fell to sixth place after the defeat.
In pursuit of a target of 172 runs, PBKS openers Prabhsimran Singh (69 runs off 34 balls) and Priyansh Arya (8 runs off 9 balls) aggressively attacked the Super Giants' bowlers from the outset. They formed a rapid partnership of 26 runs in just 17 balls before Arya was dismissed in the third over.
After Arya's exit, captain Shreyas Iyer joined Prabhsimran at the crease. The duo reached the 50-run milestone on the second delivery of the sixth over, with Prabhsimran hitting a boundary off right-arm leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi.
Prabhsimran secured his half-century on the final ball of the seventh over, taking a single off left-arm spinner M. Siddharth. The Punjab franchise crossed the 100-run mark on the very first ball of the 10th over, as Iyer took a single off right-arm seamer Shardul Thakur.
At a score of 110, the visitors lost the wicket of established batter Prabhsimran, who departed after scoring 69 runs, which included nine fours and three sixes during his innings.
Following Prabhsimran's exit, left-handed batter Nehal Wadhera entered as an impact player, joining captain Iyer at the crease. Both players adopted an aggressive approach, leading their team to victory in the 17th over with eight wickets remaining.
For the Lucknow franchise, uncapped leg-spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi claimed both wickets in his four-over spell, conceding 30 runs.
Earlier in the match, after PBKS won the toss and chose to bowl first, LSG struggled at the outset. A slower delivery from Arshdeep Singh dismissed the in-form Mitchell Marsh for a golden duck, leaving LSG at 1/1 in just 0.4 overs.
In the third over, Aiden Markram broke the early pressure for LSG by hitting Arshdeep for three boundaries across the field. He continued his assault with a four and a six over deep backward point against Lockie Ferguson, but an inswinging delivery ultimately knocked his stumps down. Markram was out for a solid 28 off 18 balls, featuring four boundaries and a six, leaving LSG at 32/2 in 3.5 overs.
A misjudged pull shot meant that skipper Rishabh Pant also fell quickly, as Yuzi Chahal took a catch at short fine leg off a Glenn Maxwell delivery, sending him back for just two runs. LSG found themselves at 35/3 in 4.5 overs.
The partnership between Nichola Pooran and Ayush Badoni brought LSG to 39/3 by the end of the powerplay, marking a disappointing start in front of their home crowd in Lucknow.
Pooran managed to hit a couple of boundaries off Maxwell and a six against Marcus Stoinis, helping LSG reach 50 runs in 7.1 overs.
In the 10th over, Pooran aggressively targeted Chahal, hitting two fours and two sixes to accumulate 15 runs, concluding the first 10 overs at 76/3, with Pooran (33*) and Badoni (11*) still at the crease.
The pair formed a counter-attacking partnership, adding 50 runs in just 37 balls. However, Pooran's impressive innings came to an end at 44 runs off 30 balls, featuring five fours and two sixes, when Maxwell took a brilliant catch off a fast delivery from Chahal. At this point, LSG was at 89/4 in 11.3 overs.
LSG crossed the 100-run mark in 13 overs, thanks to a six from Ayush Badoni over deep cover. His partnership with David Miller, who scored 19 runs off 18 balls with three fours, was brief, as Miller was caught by Prabhsimran Singh off a delivery from Marco Jansen after hitting a few boundaries against the spinners. LSG's score stood at 119/5 in 15.5 overs.
In the 18th over, Badoni and Abdul Samad capitalized on Arshdeep's bowling, reaching the 150-run milestone in 17.4 overs. The duo struck three fours and a six, amassing a total of 20 runs. However, Jansen restricted runs to just eight in the next over.
Badoni attempted a big hit but was caught by Maxwell for 41 runs off 33 balls, which included one four and three sixes. LSG's score was 166/6 in 19.2 overs. Samad's quick innings also ended when he was caught by Priyansh Arya for 27 runs off 12 balls, featuring two fours and two sixes, leaving LSG at 169/7 in 19.4 overs.
Ultimately, LSG finished their innings at 171/7 in 20 overs, with Shardul Thakur (3*) and Avesh Khan (0*) remaining not out.
Arshdeep was the standout bowler for PBKS, taking 3 wickets for 43 runs. Lockie, Chahal, Maxwell, and Jansen also contributed to the wicket tally.
Brief Score: Lucknow Super Giants 171/7 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 44, Ayush Badoni 41, Arshdeep Singh 3/43) vs Punjab Kings 177/
