After six straight defeats, Punjab Kings secured a convincing seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday. Captain Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on a century, keeping his team’s playoff hopes alive. A Rajasthan Royals defeat on Sunday could secure Kings a knockout berth for the second year in a row. Chasing 197, Punjab Kings lost early wickets to Mohammed Shami. However, Shreyas and Prabhsimran Singh steadied the innings with an aggressive partnership. Prabhsimran reached fifty off 28 balls before falling lbw. Shreyas completed his hundred on the final delivery to seal the chase. Earlier, Lucknow Super Giants batted first without Mitchell Marsh. Josh Inglis started aggressively, but the innings lost momentum until Ayush Badoni’s quick 43. Inglis and Rishabh Pant added 65, yet part-time bowling helped restrict the total to 196 for six. The target proved inadequate once Shreyas dominated the later stages.
