Image: Prabhsimran Singh's explosive 91 leads Punjab Kings to dominant victory over LSG / © Newindianexpress
Punjab Kings (PBKS) delivered a batting masterclass in the 54th match of IPL 2025 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), registering a massive total of 236/5 in 20 overs as their 11th 200-plus total in IPL history. The innings was powered by an explosive knock from Prabhsimran Singh, who scored a magnificent 91 off just 48 balls, including 6 fours and 7 sixes, at an incredible strike rate of 189.58. His knock anchored the innings and allowed others around him to bat freely.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) delivered a batting masterclass in the 54th match of IPL 2025 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), registering a massive total of 236/5 in 20 overs as their 11th 200-plus total in IPL history as the innings was powered by an explosive knock from Prabhsimran Singh, who scored a magnificent 91 off just 48 balls, including 6 fours and 7 sixes, at an incredible strike rate of 189.58 and His knock anchored the innings and allowed others around him to bat freely.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer then took charge and played a valuable knock of 45 off 25 balls (4 fours and 2 sixes), sharing a 78-run stand with Prabhsimran for the third wicket. The two kept the scoring rate high, taking PBKS past 100 in the 10th over. Iyer was dismissed by Digvesh Rathi, who later also removed Prabhsimran, breaking a game-defining innings in the 19th over. Prabhsimran’s 91 was the cornerstone of PBKS’s dominance.
In the later stages, PBKS capitalized with impactful cameos. Shashank Singh scored a blazing 33 off 15 balls (4 fours, 1 six) at a strike rate of 220.00, and Marcus Stoinis chipped in with 15 off just 5 balls, further punishing the LSG bowlers. The duo added 50 runs in 16 balls for the fifth wicket, lifting the Kings to a formidable 236/5. On the bowling front, LSG’s attack crumbled under pressure. Akash Singh was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 2 wickets for 30 runs in 4 overs.
Rathi also picked up 2 wickets but was expensive, conceding 46 runs. The most expensive spell came from Mayank Yadav, who was smashed for 60 runs in 4 overs, with 6 sixes hit off his bowling. In their spells, Avesh Khan and Prince Yadav also leaked heavily, conceding 57 and 43 runs respectively. Punjab’s aggressive batting display left LSG needing 237 runs to win, a target that was always going to be challenging under any conditions.
In pursuit of a massive target of 237 runs, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) faltered early and despite spirited resistance from Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad, they eventually fell short by 37 runs, finishing at 199/7 in their 20 overs. LSG’s run chase began disastrously. Mitchell Marsh, brought in as an Impact Player, was dismissed for a duck in the 3rd over by a fiery Arshdeep Singh. Arshdeep struck again in the same spell, removing Aiden Markram for 13 and then trapping Nicholas Pooran lbw for 6. The left-arm pacer’s early burst left LSG reeling at 27/3 in just 4.2 overs. Arshdeep finished with outstanding figures of 3/16 in 4 overs, bowling one of the most economical and effective spells of the match.
Skipper Rishabh Pant tried to rebuild, but his knock of 18 off 17 balls lacked fluency and ended when he was caught off Azmatullah Omarzai. LSG was under pressure at 58/4 at the end of the 8th over. When David Miller also fell soon after for 11, LSG were in deep trouble at 73/5. Enter Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad, who launched a counterattack. Badoni played a valiant innings of 74 from 40 balls, hitting 5 fours and 5 sixes, maintaining a strike rate of 185.00.
His innings included some clean hits and timely boundaries to keep LSG’s hopes alive. He was well supported by Abdul Samad, who smashed 45 off just 24 balls, with 2 fours and 4 sixes. The pair added 81 runs in just 39 balls, bringing the equation down to 83 needed off 24 balls at one point. However, PBKS bowlers managed to break the partnership at the right moment. Marco Jansen removed Samad with a caught-and-bowled effort, and Yuzvendra Chahal got Badoni in the penultimate over, dashing any hopes of a last-over miracle.
Chahal’s figures (1/50 in 4 overs) were expensive, but his wicket of Badoni sealed the deal. Azmatullah Omarzai also bowled well, claiming 2/33 in his 4 overs, while Jansen and Vyshak were costly, conceding 31 and 49 runs respectively. Marcus Stoinis, bowling a single over, gave away 17 runs. Avesh Khan tried to swing the bat at the end, scoring 19 off 10 balls, but it was too little, too late. LSG ultimately ended at 199/7, which was a commendable score in most T20s, but not enough on a day when they were chasing 237. The damage had already been done in the first six overs, where LSG lost three top-order wickets for just 38 runs, effectively killing their momentum.
With this win, Punjab Kings (PBKS) earned 2 crucial points, taking their tally to 15 points from 11 matches and moving them up to 2nd place on the IPL 2025 points table. Their net run rate (NRR) of +0.376 keeps them in strong contention for the playoffs, especially with 3 league games left.
Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) suffered their 6th loss in 11 matches, leaving them at 10 points and in 7th place with a negative NRR of -0.469. Their qualification chances are still alive but highly dependent on winning all remaining matches and hoping for favorable results elsewhere. The outcome significantly boosted PBKS’s playoff hopes while pushing LSG toward a do-or-die scenario.
Considering the moment that comes as the TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Day comes as the incredible hat-trick of sixes by Josh Inglis against Mayank Yadav, which completely turned the momentum in Punjab Kings’ favour. It all happened in the second over of the innings when Mayank Yadav, known for his pace, came in to share the new ball. Inglis, however, had other plans. The first six came off a short ball outside off, and Inglis stood tall, lifted his front leg like a Caribbean flair player, and smashed it over square leg with pure timing and style.
The second one was even better. Another short ball outside off, and Inglis rolled back the years with a pull that reminded everyone of Ricky Ponting, sending the ball soaring over mid-wicket. Then came the third, and the crowd erupted. Mayank tested him again with a short one, and although Inglis didn’t connect perfectly, it still had enough power to carry over deep mid-wicket, even after the fielder tried to stop it on the boundary. These three consecutive sixes not only showed Inglis’ confidence and skill but also gave Punjab Kings the upper hand early, setting the tone for the rest of their innings.
For his amazing innings, the TCNI’s Hero of the Day goes to Prabhsimran Singh, who played a brilliant knock that completely changed the game in Punjab Kings’ favor. Opening the innings after an early wicket fell, Prabhsimran stood tall and took charge right from the start. He scored a magnificent 91 runs off just 48 balls, hitting 6 fours and 7 sixes. His strike rate of 189.58 showed how aggressive and fearless he was with the bat. Every time LSG tried to slow things down, Prabhsimran found a way to hit boundaries and keep the scoreboard moving.
He built a strong partnership with Josh Inglis first, then with captain Shreyas Iyer, helping PBKS recover quickly after losing two wickets in the powerplay. He reached his half-century in just 30 balls, showing a great mix of smart batting and powerful hitting. What made his innings truly match-winning was not just the runs, but when and how he scored them. His big hits came at the perfect time, pushing Punjab’s total past 200 and setting a massive target of 237.