SYNOPSIS: Punjab Kings’ power-packed batting unit comes up with an electrifying performance to bury Lucknow Super Giants and remain unbeaten
It was quite a statement to make but said much about the confidence levels at which Punjab Kings have been operating since captain Shreyas and head coach Ricky Ponting came together.
Much has been said about how the defending champions Royals Challengers Bengaluru have grown from strength to strength this season. The same holds true for Punjab, last season’s beaten finalists. So far this season, they have chased 200-plus totals effortlessly twice, and a target of 196 with 21 deliveries to spare.
In that context, there was a crucial question. How will Punjab’s batting respond batting first. In a tournament in which teams have preferred to chase, setting a target brings its own share of challenges. From figuring out a par score to maintaining tempo throughout in pursuit of it and playing high-risk cricket without having to worry about what happens if they falter… there are endless situations that franchises confront. But try telling this to Punjab, who posted 254/7 and closed out the game with the ball.
Southpaw power
Against a Lucknow team that has been amongst the best bowling units, it promised an exciting match-up. Initial signs were that Punjab were taking time to warm up – Mohammed Shami sent Prabhsimran Singh packing first ball and Cooper Connolly wasn’t finding momentum; yet Priyansh Arya was doing what he knows best.
With his quick hands, anything that was in his arc flew. Still the explosive starts that Punjab are known for was missing, and it was only in the sixth over that they managed to take their scoring rate to above 10 runs an over. From there on, they hardly looked back.
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Cooper Connolly of Punjab Kings and Priyansh Arya of Punjab Kings during Match 29 of the TATA Indian Premier League 2026. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia / CREIMAS for IPL)
With incredible batting depth, which their batting coach Brad Haddin said allows them to bat exclusively in top gear, the wheels came off Lucknow.
22 deliveries, 78 runs
The carnage that started in the sixth over, reached its peak in the middle overs. Though Punjab had taken the run rate to 11, on a flat deck where dew was an unlikely opponent, Lucknow still had time to hit back. But as has been the case through the season, when the game appeared to be on an even keel, Punjab have found the extra gear which has taken them a level up.
Tjat phase started in the middle of the 10th over and ended in the 13th. It began with a stunning effort from Arya, who casually slapped a short delivery from Prince Yadav over cover for a six. In the next over of Shami, whose slower deliveries have been hard to get away this season, Connolly send them the distance over the leg-side. Then came Avesh Khan, who delivered three full tosses in his first four deliveries. Arya sent two of them in different directions, using his rubber wrists before Connolly scooped one behind the wicketkeeper.
A desperate Rishabh Pant turned to Aiden Markram, an off-spinner. Connolly hit the first ball over cover. The next two, he just swung through the line, hitting them over long-on before a single brought Arya to the strike. Like Connolly, he didn’t hesitate to hit through the line as two more sixes meant 32 came off that over.
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Starting with the six off Prince, Punjab made 78 runs off 22 deliveries. In the first 13 overs, they had 16 sixes. Connolly and Arya didn’t last long afterwards, departing within four deliveries of each other. The worst was over for Luknow, but with their firepower, Punjab still ended up with a huge score.
During that phase when Arya and Connolly faced 22 deliveries between them, they hit 10 sixes.
Losing the way
Dew or no dew, for Lucknow to surpass Punjab needed a monumental effort. For a batting unit that had shown plenty of spark this season, it was a different story this time. A line-up that boasts of Mitchell Marsh, Markram, Pant and Nicholas Pooran should be a nightmare for most teams. But none have looked totally in command this season, blowing hot and cold. It has meant their batting order hasn’t looked settled.
For starters, opening with a new combination – Ayush Badoni joining Mitch Marsh – they did well to stay in the game, almost mirroring Punjab’s innings at the start. Even after Badoni departed, Pant provided impetus and with Pooran and Markram to come, their plan seemed simple. Keep pace with Punjab and find a phase where they could find those 22 deliveries in return.
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Rishabh Pant of Lucknow Super Giants during Match 29 of the TATA Indian Premier League 2026. (Photo by Deepak Malik / CREIMAS for IPL)
Instead, around the same period what Lucknow received were the hammer blows thanks to some fine execution – including another under-rated performance from Yuzvendra Chahal, who removed Marsh.
In the next three overs, Punjab would take control of the game as Arshdeep Singh managed to end Pant’s 23-ball 42 with a faint edge. Once Pooran’s struggles continued on the night, when he managed 9 off 9 before Marco Jansen’s slower delivery undid him, Lucknow’s hopes also vanished. There was time for Markram to narrow the margin of defeat, but the contest was long over.
