Punjab Kings (PBKS) cruised past Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by seven wickets in the 68th match of IPL 2026 at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. After being invited to bat first, LSG posted a fighting total of 196/6 in 20 overs with the help of a blazing half-century from Josh Inglis. Quick-fire innings from Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad also helped LSG reach 196/6. Yuzvendra Chahal (2/25 in 4 overs) remained the most successful bowler for Punjab Kings, while Marco Jansen also took two wickets.

While chasing, Punjab Kings lost two quick wickets early in the innings. Mohammed Shami (2/45 in 4 overs) gave early blows to PBKS. However, Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh then took charge and guided Punjab Kings into a commanding position. The duo added 140 runs for the third wicket before Arjun Tendulkar (1/36 in 4 overs) dismissed Prabhsimran in the 15th over.

Iyer went on to score his maiden IPL century and took Punjab Kings across the finish line. With this win, Punjab Kings kept their playoff hopes alive, although they still depend on other results. Meanwhile, LSG finished the season at the bottom of the table.

Ayush Badoni Rescues LSG After Slow Start

Lucknow’s innings began inconsistently. The side struggled badly during the middle phase of the powerplay, scoring only eight runs across overs two, three, and four. However, the first, fifth, and sixth overs produced 58 runs and helped revive the innings.

Ayush Badoni walked in ahead of captain Rishabh Pant at No. 4 when the innings lacked momentum. Badoni started slowly and managed just 2 runs from his first five balls. But he then changed gears dramatically and smashed 42 runs off only 16 deliveries.

His aggressive counterattack gave Lucknow some much-needed momentum and shifted pressure back on Punjab for a brief period.

Josh Inglis Powers LSG to Competitive Total

Josh Inglis also played a major role in Lucknow’s innings. He raced to 16 runs off six balls with four boundaries early in his knock. However, he then slowed down considerably and scored only 10 runs from his next 15 deliveries.

At one stage, it looked like Inglis had lost rhythm completely. Even his trademark ramp shots failed to connect properly. But the Australian batter recovered brilliantly during the latter half of his innings.

He exploded again with 29 runs from just nine balls and completed a fine half-century. His late acceleration helped Lucknow post a fighting total of 196.

Chahal Outsmarts Pant Despite Dropped Catch

Yuzvendra Chahal played a key role in Punjab’s bowling effort. He first dismissed Badoni with the help of excellent wicketkeeping from Prabhsimran Singh.

Badoni mistakenly believed the ball was dead after missing his shot. But Prabhsimran remained alert and waited for the batter to lift his back foot while resetting himself in the crease. The wicketkeeper quickly removed the bails and completed a smart stumping.

Pant, who has batted in different positions this season, came in at No. 5 in this match. He attacked Chahal initially and struck two boundaries off the leg-spinner. However, Chahal adjusted his line cleverly and kept bowling wide outside the left-hander’s reach.

Punjab captain Iyer dropped a simple catch at extra cover when Pant was on 20 off 19 balls. But the missed opportunity did not prove costly because Chahal eventually dismissed Pant for 26 off 22 deliveries.

Arshdeep Struggles but Punjab Recover Late

Arshdeep Singh endured a difficult evening with the ball. Punjab removed him from the attack midway through the innings after he leaked runs regularly.

In a surprising move, Punjab handed a few overs to Shashank Singh, and the gamble paid off immediately. Shashank dismissed Inglis in the 17th over and helped slow down Lucknow’s scoring rate.

Marco Jansen and Vijaykumar Vyshak then bowled outstanding 18th and 19th overs, conceding only 10 runs combined.

Punjab surprisingly brought Arshdeep back for the final over instead of Azmatullah Omarzai, who had bowled brilliantly earlier. The decision backfired again.

Abdul Samad dominated the over completely. He refused singles to keep strike and smashed 17 runs off the nine balls in the over, including wides.

Lucknow hit 28 boundaries during the innings, and 10 of those came off Arshdeep’s bowling. His economy rate of 17.33 became the worst of his IPL career.

Shami Removes Arya Early

Punjab’s chase started badly when Mohammed Shami dismissed Priyansh Arya with the very first ball.

Arya had earlier dominated short-pitched bowling this IPL season with an incredible strike rate of 366 before April 27. But his form against short balls has dropped sharply since then. Since April 28, he has scored only six runs from eight short deliveries and has been dismissed twice.

Shami, meanwhile, continued his excellent powerplay bowling form. He now has nine wickets in the powerplay this season, placing him among the league’s best new-ball bowlers.

Iyer and Prabhsimran Turn Match Around

Punjab found themselves under pressure at 22 for 2 in the third over. At that stage, their chances of victory were below 30 percent. But Iyer and Prabhsimran launched a remarkable recovery.

Neither batter showed any hesitation. They attacked consistently and kept finding boundaries against both pace and spin.

Iyer looked particularly impressive while playing the cut shot. He used the depth of the crease smartly and created enough room to pierce the field on either side of point.

Prabhsimran, meanwhile, punished the fast bowlers with powerful shots behind square on the leg side. Both batters registered their sixth fifty-plus scores of the season.

Iyer also equaled his tally from the 2025 season. Only KL Rahul has recorded more fifty-plus scores for Punjab Kings in a single IPL season, with seven in 2019.

Iyer Finishes in Style

When Punjab still needed 47 runs to win, Iyer was batting on 61 from 36 balls. After Prabhsimran departed for 69, the Punjab captain decided to finish the chase quickly. He attacked Arjun Tendulkar with back-to-back boundaries before smashing three sixes in one over against Shami.

Iyer accelerated rapidly toward both the target and his maiden IPL century. With only 10 runs left, Suryash Shedge edged a boundary but looked disappointed after failing to finish the match himself.

On the next ball, Shedge took a single and handed the strike back to Iyer. The Punjab skipper then sealed the victory in style by smashing Mohsin Khan for a six. Iyer removed his helmet and celebrated with a huge smile after completing a memorable century that kept Punjab’s season alive.