Rampaging PBKS eye another win, injury-hit LSG face uphill task
Table-toppers Punjab Kings will bank on their strong batting to continue their winning run against a struggling Lucknow Super Giants, who are sweating over skipper Rishabh Pant’s injury, in their IPL match here on Sunday.
PBKS, the only unbeaten side so far, have looked ominous this season with four wins from five matches, with one game against Kolkata Knight Riders washed out. The Shreyas Iyer-led side boasts a healthy net run rate of +1.067, thanks to their strong batting displays that have powered clinical chases.
The Kings have won nine of their last 11 matches while chasing since the 2025 season, underlining their dominance, and it was also seen in their recent win over the Mumbai Indians. It will take something special from LSG to halt the home team’s momentum.
Lucknow, currently seventh in the points table, are reeling from back-to-back losses, and Pant’s elbow injury in the previous match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru has further dented their campaign.
Pant looked in visible discomfort and retired hurt after facing just three deliveries. Though he returned later with his elbow heavily strapped, he managed only 1 off 6 balls, and his availability for Sunday’s game remains uncertain.
It was a one-sided contest against RCB as LSG could muster only 146, with Mukul Choudhary and Ayush Badoni providing some resistance.
Their batting has yet to click, with the side still to cross the 200-run mark this season. In contrast, Punjab have breached that mark twice and were cruising at 198 for 3 in 16.3 overs against MI in their last outing.
Punjab opener Prabhsimran Singh (211 runs) has been in outstanding touch, while skipper Iyer (203) has been equally impressive, striking at 172.95 and 187.96 respectively. The duo combined effectively in the win over MI. Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly have also contributed significantly to Punjab’s batting firepower.
On the bowling front, spearhead Arshdeep Singh returned to form with a fine 3/22 against MI.
Can LSG’s bowling attack stop PBKS?: Prince Yadav has been Lucknow’s most successful bowler with nine wickets, followed by Avesh Khan (5) and Mohammed Shami (4), who was taken apart by Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar the other day.
Digvesh Rathi was also expensive in that game, conceding heavily to Jitesh Sharma and Tim David, and will need to bounce back.
In the batting department, Mukul Choudhary (127), Aiden Markram (120), Mitchell Marsh (115) and Ayush Badoni (113) have contributed the bulk of the runs. However, to turn things around, the batting unit needs to be more assertive.
Big names like Marsh and Markram must deliver in the powerplay, while Nicholas Pooran has been short of runs. For Lucknow to challenge Punjab, their batting must click collectively.
Teams:
Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Vishnu Vinod (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Azmatullah Omarzai, Cooper Connolly, Marco Jansen, Musheer Khan, Mitchell Owen, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Praveen Dubey, Ben Dwarshuis, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Vishal Nishad, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur.
