In-form opener Prabhsimran Singh continued his splendid form with another match-winning 91 runs as Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 37 runs at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday.
Prabhsimran Singh’s explosive 91, studded with six fours and seven sixes, set the stage for a high-scoring affair. It was Prabhsimran’s third consecutive fifty. Shashank Singh’s late cameo of 33 off 15 balls further bolstered Punjab’s total to 236 for 5.
If Prabhsimran shone with the bat, then left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh picked up three wickets in the powerplay to put Punjab on top. Arshdeep, in his opening bursts, removed Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran to knock Lucknow out of playoff contention.
Chasing 237, LSG managed 199/7. For LSG, Ayush Badoni was the lone ranger, scoring 74 off 40 balls.
Earlier, Prabhsimran’s impressive innings came to an end when he attempted an ambitious switch hit off Digvesh Rathi, falling nine runs short of what would have been his second IPL century.
The match began with LSG making an early breakthrough when Priyansh Arya was dismissed for 1 run, caught by Mayank Yadav at deep backward point off Akash Singh’s bowling.
Josh Inglis initiated the Punjab Kings’ assault with three consecutive sixes against Mayank Yadav, whose bowling speed has reportedly decreased by approximately 15 kmph following his rehabilitation at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy.
After Inglis’s departure, Prabhsimran partnered with captain Shreyas Iyer, who scored 45 off 25 balls, to take control of the innings. Their partnership was aided by poor fielding from Avesh Khan.
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Prabhsimran particularly targeted Avesh Khan, hitting him for consecutive sixes over mid-wicket. Khan’s figures were disappointing, conceding 57 runs in four overs, with additional runs leaked through misfielding.
The partnership between Prabhsimran and Iyer yielded 78 runs in 7.5 overs before Rathi became the first spinner this season to dismiss the Punjab Kings captain.
LSG’s bowlers struggled throughout the innings, consistently bowling to Prabhsimran’s strengths and allowing him to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
