Prabhsimran Singh’s swashbuckling innings of 69, Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 52, and an all-round effort from the bowlers helped Punjab Kings secure their second consecutive win in IPL 2025. They defeated Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets in Lucknow. It was a second defeat in their third match for LSG.
In the end, it was a rather comfortable run chase for PBKS. Despite losing Priyansh Arya early, they got off to a strong start, with Prabhsimran maximising the Powerplay overs. The opener was dispatching the ball to all parts of the ground and received solid support from Iyer, who played the anchor role, remaining unbeaten at the end.
The 84-run partnership between Prabhsimran and Iyer kept LSG out of the contest. Prabhsimran was the aggressor, scoring 51 runs in that stand. Apart from Digvesh Rathi, all other LSG bowlers had a bad day. Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, and M Siddharth all conceded at an economy rate of over nine runs per over.
Introduced as an impact player, Nehal Wadhera made the most of his opportunity with a blazing knock of 43 off 25 balls. Iyer remained unbeaten on 52 off 30.
There was a tinge of grass on the red soil, and PBKS’s new-ball pair of Arshdeep Singh and Lockie Ferguson did the damage. Arshdeep got the better of Mitch Marsh for a golden duck with a delivery that gripped the surface. Aiden Markram, after an early reprieve, looked in good touch, but an attempted expansive shot led to his downfall.
Rishabh Pant walked in, and Glenn Maxwell was introduced as the first-change bowler in the next over. Maxwell dismissed Pant with a drag-down; Pant could have hit it anywhere, but he found the fielder at short fine-leg. Nicholas Pooran adopted a cautious approach initially, but once the Powerplay was over, he took the attack to the bowlers.
With three wickets down, a partnership was needed. The top order was blown away by PBKS’s bowlers, but LSG’s middle order came to the rescue. Pooran and Ayush Badoni stabilised the innings with a 54-run stand. Pooran attacked Yuzvendra Chahal early on, but the leg-spinner had the last laugh, outfoxing LSG’s No 3.
Badoni then held one end, crafting a well-made 41 and forming two crucial partnerships — 30 runs with David Miller and 47 with Abdul Samad. PBKS’s bowlers leaked runs at the death, with Samad’s cameo propelling the team to 171.