Lucknow, May 24: In a thrilling encounter of IPL 2026, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) secured a crucial victory against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 7 wickets. Shreyas Iyer played a captain’s knock, scoring his first century of the season, which he deemed timely given the team’s needs.
Following the win, Iyer expressed his happiness, stating, “To be honest, I am very happy. This is my first century of the season, and it came at a crucial time when the team needed it. After six consecutive losses, we finally secured a win. This is a great moment, and we will now support the Mumbai Indians on Sunday.”
Iyer praised the performance of the bowlers, saying, “I am very pleased with the bowlers’ performance. Ajmatullah Umarzai bowled brilliantly, taking a wicket in the first over while also saving crucial runs. He conceded only 23 or maybe 26 runs in his 4-over spell. Yuzvendra Chahal also bowled excellently in the middle overs, not only stopping runs but also taking the important wicket of Rishabh Pant. After conceding many runs in the last match, he showcased his skills in this game.”
The Punjab Kings captain further added, “I know that if I give myself a bit of time at the crease and focus on playing the ball rather than trying to score off good deliveries, it will benefit me. The more time I spend at the crease, the better it is for me, as runs were coming off my bat. Prabhsimran’s aggressive approach against the bowlers was fantastic. He showed us all his capabilities. It felt great to see the shots he played. Finishing the match with a century is a wonderful feeling. Every batsman dreams of this, and today was one of those days when I felt really good.”
In the match, LSG batted first, scoring 196 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 20 overs. Josh Inglis made a strong contribution with 72 runs off 44 balls, while Ayush Badoni scored 43 runs off 18 balls, and Abdul Samad added 37 runs off 20 balls. However, PBKS chased down the target of 197 runs in just 18 overs, losing only 3 wickets. Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten with 101 runs off 51 balls, and Prabhsimran Singh contributed 69 runs off 39 balls. With this victory, Punjab Kings have kept their playoff hopes alive.
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