Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants, Match 29 Match Summary

That's a wrap - The weekend comes to a close. Hope you all had a lot of fun. But IPL never stops. Monday, 20th April sees the clash between the western neighbours. Gujarat Titans are set to host Mumbai Indians at the gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). But our buildup begins well in advance. Until then, cheers!

A quick recap of the double header - What an entertaining day it was! A proper Sunday treat. The day began at Eden Gardens with Kolkata Knight Riders getting a very narrow win against Rajasthan Royals, their first of the season. They almost botched up an under-par target, but Rinku Singh took them home with a responsible knock. Come the evening game, Punjab Kings again shattered the mathematical possibilities by smashing 254 runs on the back of ruthless ball-hitting and in the defence, they were just as clinical. They look like a team playing on a different stratosphere and maintain their unbeaten run. Lucknow Super Giants were left staring at the ceiling as they have a lot of soul-searching to do in all departments.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Priyansh Arya receives the award for his swashbuckling 93 off just 37 balls, at a staggering strike rate of 251.35. On what stood out in his innings, he tells that he was pleased to have continued batting deep after the Powerplay and kept contributing runs for the team. On his six-hitting training, he shares that he does not practice hitting sixes at all. Adds that he focuses purely on timing the ball as well as possible in the nets, and finds that approach pays off more when he gets out to bat. On his fitness routine, he says he has put in work over the last four to five months, following whatever schedule his coaches send him and crediting the routine for the improvements he has seen. On his partnership with Cooper Connolly and the lack of conversation between them at the crease, he explains that he believes too much talking while batting only clutters the mind with unnecessary thoughts, and that a quieter partnership allows both batters to play with more clarity. On his favourite shot of the night, he points out the slash over point, which went for a six.

The captain of the Punjab Kings - Shreyas Iyer says it was exceptional, with some of the shots being jaw-dropping, and adds that it takes a lot of courage and composure. He mentions that hitting fast bowlers off the back foot straight down the ground requires great bravery. He also feels that while things can slip at times, the way that the partnership was built, especially through the middle overs, was sensational. Iyer reveals he was chatting with Cooper Connolly and Priyansh Arya, jokingly asking them to compete for the most sixes, with his bat as the prize. Shreyas says that the team’s mantra is to let players be, trusting them to follow their own patterns without over-instruction. He mentions that Ricky Ponting delivers the motivation before the game, while he plays his part, and the players respond on the field. Iyer also points out that most of their bowlers are experienced, international players. Further says that the team has clear plans against opposition batters, and it ultimately comes down to execution. He stresses the importance of not getting complacent. On making this venue their fortress, he says absolutely. Adds that whenever they come here and look at the wicket, it gives them immense pleasure to be part of this setup. He mentions that last year they had to sit down and rethink their approach for this season, and wanted to prepare a surface that supports both their batters and bowlers.

... Time for the post-match Presentation ...

Up next for a quick interview - PBKS' Vijaykumar Vyshak, on being asked whether he has any premeditated plans while bowling, says that there is a lot of planning from the coaches and video analysis. He credits the people involved in that as well. He acknowledges the last couple of games did not go his way, but feels the support from the support staff made all the difference. On his recent form, he says the last two games did not go his way, but he drew cues from how Prince bowled and backed yorkers and slower deliveries as his primary weapons. He details that the video analyst specifically flagged that length balls are not a good option on this surface, which is why he went fuller and harder with the yorker. On his mindset, he says his approach stays the same regardless of the situation, whether he bowls one over or four, the goal is simply to win the match for his team.

The skipper of Lucknow Super Giants - Rishabh Pant says his left hand is getting better, but he took a blow on the right elbow, which is something he will need to keep an eye on. Rishabh tells that it is difficult to point out exactly where things went wrong. There are areas of concern, but also positives to take, and as a team, they need to do better. Pant mentions it was a pre-decided plan for Ayush Badoni to open, to allow him to bat freely. He says he believes in this team, and adds that when a team is playing well, like Punjab are, you have to give credit to them.

Mayhem in Mullanpur - Prabhsimran was gone off the third ball, with Shami drawing first blood. That was as good as it got for LSG all night. Priyansh Arya, carrying the rust of a mixed season, chose tonight to shed all of it in one go. Connolly walked in and matched him shot for shot, as the two youngsters fed off each other in a partnership that left the LSG bowlers shellshocked. They added 182 runs in just 80 balls before Arya fell agonisingly short of a hundred. Connolly was not too far behind either, but by then the damage was well and truly done. The carnage did not stop there. Stoinis, Wadhera and Shashank piled on in the back end, squeezing every last run out of a demoralised attack. In an evening where LSG's bowlers were put to the sword one after another, Prince Yadav was the solitary bright spot, finishing with figures of 2/25.

A defensive bowling masterclass - What followed after the restrictions lifted was a masterclass from the Kings' bowlers. On a belter of a pitch, they identified the bigger boundary and built their defensive plan around it. The overs dried up, the boundaries stopped coming, and LSG found themselves stuck in a phase of the game where they needed runs the most and found them the least. The asking rate climbed in silence. That is the cruel arithmetic of a T20 chase. A few quiet overs do not just cost runs, they shoot up the asking rate as well. The likes of Chahal and Vyshak tightened up the screws with cunning variations and were spot on with execution. By the time LSG looked up, the game was already gone. PBKS had pulled so far ahead that they couldn't even see their opponents in the rearview mirror.

The openers set the base - The order of the day was aggression, and Marsh and Badoni took that brief and ran with it. The two openers put on a positive start, giving LSG the kind of foundation a chase of this magnitude demanded. Badoni was particularly fluent, keeping the scoreboard moving, but he fell on the last ball of the Powerplay, though, with LSG at 61/1, a moment that threatened to take the fizz out of the innings. Pant walked in and played with freedom from the very first ball, with Marsh motoring along well too. At the end of 8 overs, there was very little to separate the two teams, with the Powerplays also cancelling out each other.

Kings rule at home - Another game, another commanding win for Punjab Kings. They are making a habit of it, going past other teams like it's a normal routine. This makes five wins out of six games (one abandoned) for them, and they get to 11 points. The first team to do so and the only side yet to lose a single game this year. The only thing they would look to improve on is their fielding and catching efficiency, which has taken a considerable hit. Problems are rising for the Lucknow Super Giants on the other end. But to be fair to them, they did well in patches to get to 200, but still remained massively short of what they were after. Their bowling came under the scanner this evening, and with good reason.

A convincing 54-run win for the Punjab Kings. Jansen hurls it on a length, outside off. Himmat flat bats it back at the bowler. No time for Jansen to react as he sticks out his left hand. The ball deflects off his hand towards cover for a single.

Last ball coming up. Himmat Singh, LSG's Impact Sub, walks out to face that.

OUT! CAUGHT! Finally, PBKS hold onto a catch, and once again, the camera pans to the PBKS dugout, where Ricky Ponting shows no emotion at all. Jansen continues to push it across the right-hander, on a length. Aiden moves across the sticks and looks to launch it down the ground. Skies it towards long off, where Marcus Stoinis settles under it and gets low to take the catch.

FOUR! The ball flies in the air as does the bat. On a good length, leaving the right-hander. Aiden Markram flashes and flashes hard at it. Aiden loses grip on the bat and it balloons behind the stumps. The ball flies wide of short third to his right for a boundary.

PUT DOWN! The drops are spreading quickly across the field. Cross-seam ball, on a length, outside off. Mukul Choudhary swings for the hills by shuffling across. Slices it off the outer half towards short third. Prabhsimran Singh, with the gloves, calls for the catch and moves across to his right. Yuzvendra Chahal is right under it but he moves away to avoid bumping into the keeper. Perhaps that played on the mind of Prabhsimran, who could not hold onto it.

Slower and fuller, going away. Aiden swats it to long on and crosses over.

Across off, on a shortish length, Choudhary pulls it through mid-wicket for a single.

Last over to go. Marco Jansen to wrap things up. 3-0-29-1 so far.

Low full toss, on leg. Mukul Choudhary tonks it using his bottom hand to long on for a single.

Takes pace off and goes into the surface, over middle. Mukul Choudhary does not pick the change of pace and fails to connect on the pull.

IN THE AIR AND DROPPED AGAIN! Is it a doppelganger? No, it's Shashank for the third time. Wherever Shashank is going, the ball is following him, it seems. It's just not been a good outing for him in the field. Shreyas Iyer at long on sees the funny side of it. But the camera pans to the PBKS dugout, with Ponting with a blank face as the head coach just cannot believe it. Short and wide outside off, slower at 114.3 kph. Mukul decides to take it on, fetching it from well outside off and launching it aerially towards deep backward square leg. Shashank Singh comes in from the deep and makes a meal of it once again. The batters cross for two runs.

Fuller in length and outside off. Aiden Markram laces it down to long off for a single.

WIDE! Takes all the pace off and digs in a bumper, but it goes over the head of the batter. Markram tries to smoke that with the pull shot but it goes over his angled bat.

FOUR! Width offered, and Aiden cashes in! Bartlett errs in line and length. High full toss but below the waist, outside off. Markram extends his hands and slaps it through point for four more.

FOUR! It flies away! Xavier Bartlett misses the yorker and slips a thigh-high full toss, outside off. Aiden Markram flashes hard at it and the ball flies off the outside edge over short third for a four.

Last 2 overs left. PBKS are inches closer to get a massive win. Xavier Bartlett (3-0-41-0) will bowl out.

Full and on middle. Markam powers it down the ground to long off for one.

SIX! What happened there? Ricky Ponting in the dugout is not happy one bit. Total misjudgement from Shashank Singh. Second time tonight that Shashank has made an error in the field. Seam-up ball, angling away, full in length. Aiden carves it off the outer half and it is skied to deep cover. Singh gets around to his right but feels that the ball is going to sail over his head. He turns around and watches the ball land on the boundary cushions on the full. A hand of apology straight away from Shashank.

Wide yorker from Singh, Choudhary moves across and slices it to deep point for one.