NEW DELHI: The scenic HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala is set to join the IPL 2025 hosting roster as Punjab Kings take on Lucknow Super Giants in a crucial mid-table clash on Sunday evening — a fixture that could prove pivotal in shaping the playoff race.
Fresh off a morale-boosting win over Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, PBKS sit comfortably at fourth place on the points table with six wins and one no-result from 10 matches. In contrast, LSG, returning after a week-long break, are placed sixth with five wins from 11 games and find themselves in a must-win situation as the tournament heads into its final stretch.
In a heartwarming moment ahead of the game, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen embracing the players, including skipper Rishabh Pant — a gesture shared by the franchise on social media.
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Punjab Kings’ resurgence has been fuelled by captain Shreyas Iyer, whose blend of smart leadership and consistent batting has been a major asset. Having worked on his technique — particularly against the short ball — Iyer has led from the front in what is turning into a standout campaign.
The opening duo of Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya has provided solid starts, while the bowling trio of Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, and Marco Jansen has delivered match-winning spells, adding firepower to PBKS’s well-rounded squad.
Lucknow, however, face greater pressure. With Rishabh Pant enduring a poor run of form, the onus lies heavily on power-hitters Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran to post imposing totals.
On the bowling front, Mayank Yadav’s return in their last outing against Mumbai Indians was a bright spot, but the rest of the attack struggled, culminating in a heavy 54-run defeat.
Although LSG hold a narrow 3-2 head-to-head advantage over PBKS, they’ll need to be at their best to halt the momentum of Iyer and Co., who are peaking just as the tournament approaches its business end.
