The T20 cricket gusto is in its full swing as Match 54 of the ongoing (Indian Premier League) witnessed Punjab Kings (PBKS) hosting Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their another home ground, Dharamsala. Notably, the clash took place on Sunday, May 4.
This game was the first match at this venue for the Kings at this picturesque venue. After being invited to bat first, PBKS put up a dominant batting show, as they posted a mammoth 236 runs on the board.
Talking Points
1. Prabhsimran misses out on his century, Shreyas continues his good form
Opener Prabhsimran Singh starred with the bat with a blazing 91-run off just 48 balls. This was his third fifty of his IPL career. After an early vigil, he rocketed his innings in the late stages of the game, as he smashed 38 runs in the last 13 balls of his knock.
Apart from him, captain Shreyas Iyer continued his good run with the bat. All in all, PBKS notched up 34 boundaries, which also included 18 sixes. As a result, Punjab achieved their 11th 200-plus total in their league history.
2. Lucknow bowlers proved too expensive in death overs
Meanwhile, speaking of LSG’s bowling, their bowlers failed to find the right rhythm. Fiery pacer Mayank Yadav went for 60 runs while Avesh Khan got pummeled for 26 runs in the 19th over.
Lucknow were hoping for a similar aggressive start by their top-order batters. However, they lost their way in the starting stages of the run chase. Pacer Arshdeep Singh struck thrice to leave LSG reeling at 27/3 in the fifth over itself. Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran were his victims. As a result, skipper Rishabh Pant, along with Ayush Badoni, got down to the rescue act.
3. Pant’s flying bat dismissal, Omarzai makes further inroads
However. Afghan all rounder Azmatullah Omarzai claimed his wicket as Pant got caught by Shashank Singh, just when he was looking set to take the innings deep. Pant was dismissed on 18 off 17 balls in the eighth over. Notably, Pant’s dismissal was slightly bizarre as in attempt to dominate Omarzai, he ended up throwing his bat towards the square leg while the ball went towards the deep point region where the fielder was stationed.
Soon after his departure, David Miller who did looked to get a start, ended up slicing it too much to hand Shashank another catch, which further derailed LSG’s run chase.
4. Badoni-Samad’s 81-run partnership
While Lucknow were already staring down the barrel, Ayush Badoni, who was looking to build on his innings early on, welcomed Vijaykumar Vyshak by smoking 21 runs off his first over in what was the 12th over of Lucknow Super Giants’ innings. On the other end, Abdul Samad too got into the act of scoring quickly as the run rate was always climbing. He took on Yuzvendra Chahal in the next over with two sixes and then attacked till the 15th over.
5. Arshadeep, Jansen put a stop to run flow to bring back PBKS into game
However, as the duo was looking threatening and possibly taking the game down the wire, Arshdeep and Jansen did the job for Punjab. While the former kept the duo silent and built pressure. It led to Jansen dismissing Samad who was almost playing a blinder.
6. Chahal ends Badoni’s whirlwind knock to close Lucknow’s chapter
In the end, Yuzvendra Chahal came out to bowl the last over of the innings. While Lucknow had already lost the game as they needed nearly 50 runs still, Badoni’s 74-run knock off 40 balls, thoroughly entertained the Dharamsala crowd. While Avesh Khan had a fun cameo, eventually Lucknow Super Giants lost the match by 37 runs.
Meanwhile, here’s what both the captains and the POTM (Player of the Match) had to say regarding tonight’s IPL 2025 clash:
Who Said What?
Shreyas Iyer, PBKS (Winning captain) said,
(On the performance) Elated, to be honest. Everyone stepped up at the right time, contribution was immense from everyone. The way he performed, it was exceptional and so pleasing to the eye. I am glad I did not know about it. Stepped onto the field to win the match and that was the mindset. Was not thinking about stats or what is a good score to defend. We have been lucky, but the luck has been because of the hard work. Each and every individual knows their roles precisely and the way they executed, it was top-notch. The only thing we need to correct is the awareness (in the field) and the way we move – that is the only box we have to tick off. Just back yourselves and your instincts – that has been working for us, not think too much about stats. The result…it does matter and that is winning.
Rishabh Pant, CSK (Losing captain) said,
(On the target) Definitely too many runs. When you drop crucial catches at the wrong time, it can hurt you badly. We thought it would do more, but we did not pick the length right at the start. But that is part and parcel of the game. The dream is still alive. If we can win the next three matches, we can definitely turn around and do amazing things. (On the batting order and if they are looking to change it) It makes sense when your top order is batting well. Every match, you cannot hope for them to come off. It is part of the game, we have to take it deep sometimes. We had too many runs to catch up on and that hurt us badly.
Prabhsimran Singh, Player of the Match said,
It was a very good innings because these two points were very vital for us. (On his shot selection) I was on 20-25 then, I got a chance and wanted to capitalize. In the start, could not read the wicket instantly, but when we did, felt we needed 200-plus. Whatever the situation will demand, we will try (and adapt). We are happy that we performed well and won.
