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Punjab Kings (PBKS) registered a seven-wicket victory in a must-win clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on Saturday to keep themselves alive in the IPL 2026 playoff race. With this win, PBKS finally returned to winning ways after six consecutive losses, and now, with 15 points, they are still in contention for the final playoff spot.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front, registering his maiden IPL century (unbeaten 101 off 51) and guiding his team to victory as they chased down the 197-run target with two overs to spare. Apart from Shreyas, Prabhsimran Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal were among the key performers.
Now, PBKS will keep a close eye on the upcoming Mumbai Indians (MI) versus Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Delhi Capitals (DC) matches on Sunday in Mumbai and Kolkata, respectively. They need those results to go in their favour to seal a playoff berth.
Pant fails, but Inglis, Badoni and Samad fight back
After being asked to bat first, LSG posted 196/6 courtesy of Josh Inglis’ 72 off 44 balls, along with quickfire cameos from Ayush Badoni (43 off 18, strike rate 238.88) and Abdul Samad (37* off 20, strike rate 185).
Despite losing Arshin Kulkarni and Nicholas Pooran early, Inglis ensured that the innings stayed on track while Badoni and Samad provided the finishing touches.
However, skipper Rishabh Pant once again failed to make any impact with the bat. He managed only 26 off 22 balls in another struggling knock where he looked uncomfortable at the crease.
Chahal delivers despite Arshdeep’s off day
Arshdeep Singh had a difficult outing with the ball, conceding 52 runs in just three overs without a wicket.
But veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal stepped up once again when it mattered most, finishing with figures of 2/25 in four overs. He was well supported by Marco Jansen, who also picked up two wickets while conceding 33 runs in his four-over spell.
Shreyas’ maiden IPL ton and the 140-run stand
PBKS had a shaky start to the chase after losing two wickets for just 22 runs. However, skipper Shreyas Iyer made sure there were no further setbacks as he stitched a match-winning 140-run partnership with Prabhsimran Singh for the third wicket.
Prabhsimran played a brilliant knock of 69 off 39 before being dismissed by Arjun Tendulkar’s excellent yorker. But Shreyas remained unbeaten till the end and guided PBKS home comfortably.
When PBKS needed just three runs to win from 13 balls, Iyer was five runs short of his century. He then sealed both the victory and his maiden IPL hundred in style with a six. The PBKS skipper remained unbeaten on 101 off 51 balls, at a strike rate of 198.03.
Sloppy fielding costs LSG badly
Mohammed Shami gave LSG a dream start by dismissing Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly early. But after that, the home side completely lost momentum.
In the seventh over, Pant dropped Prabhsimran off Arjun’s bowling when the batter was on 21. Later, on 62, Prabhsimran survived again as Badoni failed to complete a sharp catch cleanly, as replays confirmed.
As a bowling unit, apart from Arjun, every other LSG bowler conceded runs at an economy of over 10.
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The post LSG vs PBKS, IPL 2026: Shreyas Iyer’s maiden IPL ton keeps PBKS playoff hopes alive appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
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