Okay, folks! This is it from NDTV's live blog for the LSG vs PBKS IPL 2026 game. Tomorrow (Sunday), we have a double-header that will finalise the fourth team for the playoffs.

Rajasthan Royals play against Mumbai Indians in the day game, before Kolkata Knight Riders face Delhi Capitals in the night match. Do join us for the big day. Stay connected to NDTV Sports for more. Good night!

Punjab Kings finish the league stage with 15 points and a net run rate of +0.309. They are now in contention for the final playoff spot alongside Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders. Have a look at the points table:

Shreyas Iyer slams a six to finish the game! He races to his century with it. Punjab Kings win the game against Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets. They stay alive in the playoff race.

LSG 196/6 (20)

PBKS 200/3 (18)

6, 0, 6, 2, 0, 6 - This is insane stuff from Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer. He smashes Mohammed Shami for three sixes in the over. Twenty runs come off it as Iyer also takes a couple. He moves to 92 off 46.

PBKS 182-3 (16)

Arjun Tendulkar claims a wicket. He outplays Prabhsimran Singh with a slower ball. The Punjab Kings batter goes across and tries to play it on the leg side but misses it completely, getting struck on the toe. “Spot on the yorker, absolutely, spot on,” says Sunil Gavaskar on-air.

Prabhsimran Singh lbw b Arjun Tendulkar 69(39) [4s-7 6s-2]

PBKS 162-3 (15)

On the first ball of Prince Yadav's over, Prabhsimran Singh slams the ball straight to Ayush Badoni at extra cover. The LSG fielder grabs it, but the ball hits the ground after bursting through his hands. He claims the catch, but a thorough check from the TV umpire rules it not out.

PBKS 150-2 (14)

The Punjab Kings captain rises to the occasion with yet another IPL fifty! This is his sixth half-century of the season for Shreyas Iyer. This time, he gets to the milestone in just 33 balls.

Prabhsimran Singh slams a half-century in 28 balls. The right-handed batter continues to punish Lucknow Super Giants. He got a life at the score of 20 and is now making the most of it. Punjab Kings are 118 for 2 in 11.3 overs vs LSG.

Mohammed Shami bowls a good over, conceding only six runs with no boundary coming in it. Punjab Kings need 86 runs off 54 balls. They are in the commanding position, with both Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh close to their fifties.

PBKS 111-2 (11)

Prabhsimran Singh is batting brilliantly. He smashes Arjun Tendulkar for a four and a six in this over. Punjab Kings need 103 runs off 66 balls. They are in the driving seat, with the asking rate down to 9.36.

PBKS 94-2 (9)

That is a superb hit from Prabhsimran Singh for six! Mohsin Khan bowls a slower delivery outside off stump, and the PBKS opener walks across the stumps before clobbering it wide of long-on for a maximum.

PBKS 79-2 (8)

Blunder from Rishabh Pant! Arjun Tendulkar outfoxes Prabhsimran Singh with a short ball, but wicketkeeper Pant drops the catch. He jumps to his left, collects the ball before it slips out of his hands. 

PBKS 67-2 (6.4)

10 runs come off Prince Yadav's second over. The pacer is hit for a four on the fourth delivery towards deep square leg. He bowls a full toss down the leg side, and Shreyas Iyer flicks it away for a boundary.

PBKS 65-2 (6)

Spin gets introduced with Digvesh Singh Rathi bowling the over. Prabhsimran Singh takes on the bowler and slams him for two fours. 14 runs come off the over as Punjab Kings cross the 50-run mark. 

PBKS 55-2 (5)

Wow! That is a wonderful drive from Shreyas Iyer through extra cover. Mohsin Khan pitches it up outside off stump, and Iyer hammers it through the gap between the mid-off and cover fielders. 11 runs come off the over.

PBKS 41-2 (4)

OUT! Mohammed Shami strikes again! He uproots the off stump of Cooper Connolly. The batter doesn’t move his front leg much and tries to smash it away from his stance. The ball swings a bit and rattles the stumps.

Cooper Connolly b Mohammed Shami 18(10) [4s-4]

PBKS 22-2 (2.2)

Mohammed Shami picks up a wicket on the first ball, but new batter Cooper Connolly slams the veteran pacer for two fours — one on the leg side and another on the off side. Ten runs and a wicket come off the over.

PBKS 21-1 (2)

Mohammed Shami picks up a wicket on the first ball, but new batter Cooper Connolly slams the veteran pacer for two fours — one on the leg side and another on the off side. Ten runs and a wicket come off the over.

PBKS 10-1 (1)

OUT! Mohammed Shami strikes on the first ball of the innings. He bowls a short delivery, and Priyansh Arya mistimes the pull shot. The ball lobs up in front of Arjun Tendulkar at mid-wicket.

Priyansh Arya c Arjun Tendulkar b Mohammed Shami 0(1)

PBKS 0-1 (0.1)

Mohammed Shami gets ready with the new ball. Priyansh Arya is on the strike, Prabhsimran Singh is at the other end. Here we go...

Poor finish from Arshdeep Singh! He ends up leaking 17 runs in his final over. The pacer returns with figures of 0 for 52 from his three overs. Lucknow Super Giants have posted a competitive total on the board.

LSG 196-6 (20)

Vijaykumar Vyshak bowls the 19th over and concedes only six runs. Punjab Kings have made a brilliant recovery of late. They now have one final over to bowl, with Arshdeep Singh set to deliver it.

LSG 179-6 (19)

OUT! Marco Jansen gets Mukul Choudhary! He was troubling the LSG batter in this over, and ends up getting his wicket. Mukul smashes it into the hands of the fielder at long-on. Lucknow Super Giants are six down.

Mukul Choudhary c (sub)Praveen Dubey b Marco Jansen 1(3)

LSG 172-6 (17.5)

OUT! Shashank Singh gets a third over and ends up claiming a wicket. Josh Inglis tries to hit it straight down the ground but finds Shreyas Iyer on the edge of the boundary. Iyer runs to his left from long-on and completes the catch.

Josh Inglis c Shreyas Iyer b Shashank Singh 72(44) [4s-9 6s-2] 

LSG 169-5 (17)

Abdul Samad dances down the track on the fifth ball, and Marco Jansen bangs it short outside off. Samad adjusts well and smashes the ball over long-on for a biggie. Jansen follows it up with a dot ball. 10 runs come off the over.

LSG 157-4 (16)

Shashank Singh gets a second over but ends up leaking 13 runs this time. Josh Inglis slams the medium pacer for two fours, starting the over with a boundary and ending it the same way.

LSG 147-4 (15)

OUT! Yuzvendra Chahal dismisses Rishabh Pant. The southpaw attempts a big hit but ends up finding the fielder at the deep backward square leg. Lucknow Super Giants are four down.

Rishabh Pant c Marco Jansen b Yuzvendra Chahal 26(22) [4s-3]

LSG 134-4 (13.5)

Shashank Singh gets the ball and concedes only four runs in his first over. He doesn’t give away a single boundary despite Josh Inglis attempting a reverse sweep.

LSG 126-3 (13)

Josh Inglis slams a half-century in 28 balls! This has been a solid knock from the Lucknow Super Giants opener. This innings showcases his adaptability. He started all guns blazing, then took a back seat when Ayush Badoni was firing on all cylinders. Once Badoni fell, Inglis took responsibility for scoring boundaries and attacked the bowlers.

This turns out to be a brilliant comeback from Yuzvendra Chahal. The spinner was hit for nine in his previous over but concedes only three this time. He bowls smartly in this over against set batters Josh Inglis and Rishabh Pant, who are both searching for a big shot.

LSG 103-3 (11)

FOUR, SIX! Josh Inglis slams Vijaykumar Vyshak for two boundaries to end the 10th over. 12 runs come off it. The maximum on the final ball sees Lucknow Super Giants reach the 100-run mark.

LSG 100-3 (10)

A total of 22 runs have come in the last three overs. Lucknow Super Giants ended the powerplay on a high, but Ayush Badoni's wicket has impacted their scoring rate. Yuzvendra Chahal and Vijaykumar Vyshak have bowled quiet overs since then to keep LSG in check.

LSG 88-3 (9)

OUT! Yuzvendra Chahal provides Punjab Kings with a much-needed wicket! He dismisses Ayush Badoni, who was firing on all cylinders. The LSG batter loses his balance after failing to connect with a shot on the off side. A smart Prabhsimran Singh waits for the moment before dislodging the bails. 

Ayush Badoni st Prabhsimran Singh b Yuzvendra Chahal 43(18) [4s-5 6s-3]

LSG 69-3 (6.4)

4, 6, 6, 2, 4 — this is sensational batting from Ayush Badoni. The right-handed batter goes berserk in the final over of the powerplay, smashing Azmatullah Omarzai for two sixes and as many fours. A total of 24 runs come off the over.

LSG 66-2 (6)

4, 4, 6, 4 — Ayush Badoni is off to a terrific start! The 26-year-old batter smashes Marco Jansen for three fours and a six in the over, with a total of 18 runs coming off it. Lucknow Super Giants are mounting a strong recovery.

LSG 42-2 (5)

That is a good shot from Ayush Badoni for four! Marco Jansen bowls a good length delivery onto the pads of the LSG batter, and he clips it on the leg side for a boundary. Priyansh Arya gives chase in the deep but fails to stop the ball.

LSG 28-2 (4.1)

OUT! LSG are two down! Nicholas Pooran tries to pull the short of length delivery and he ends up getting an inside edge onto the stumps. LSG are two down. They are in big-big trouble. 

Nicholas Pooran b Marco Jansen 2(7)

LSG 20-2 (2.5)

OUT! Another failure for Arshin Kulkarni! He wastes yet another opportunity. The right-handed batter gets out for a first-ball duck. It is a good length delivery outside off-stump, Arshin throws his bat at it and gets an under edge to the wicketkeeper. 

Arshin Kulkarni c Prabhsimran Singh b Azmatullah Omarzai 0(1)

LSG 16-1 (1.1)

4, 0, 0, 4, 4, 4 - Arshdeep Singh gets smashed for four fours in the first over. Josh Inglis charged at the pacer and made it a big over. He is off to a fiery start in this game. 

LSG 16-1 (1)

Josh Inglis gets off the mark with a four! Arshdeep Singh bowls a good length delivery outside off-stump and the Punjab Kings opener smashes it through the sweeper cover for the boundary.

LSG 4-0 (0.1)

Punjab Kings Impact Subs: Harpreet Brar, Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Praveen Dubey.

Lucknow Super Giants Imact Subs: Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Manimaran Siddharth, Himmat Singh, Akash Maharaj Singh.

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh(w), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Josh Inglis, Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Arjun Tendulkar, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan.

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer gets it right at the toss and opts to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants in this crucial match tonight. “Mujhe toh pata hi tha (I knew it),” says Pant as soon as he hears Iyer's decision after the latter wins the toss.

Graeme Swann and Aaron Finch have analysed the pitch as a batting-friendly wicket, which will also offer a little bit of help for the bowlers. So, chasing on this surface is likely to be easier than setting a target. We are just a few minutes away from the toss. Don’t go anywhere, stay connected!

L, L, L, L, L, L — this is what Punjab Kings' recent form looks like. A team that was touted to finish in the top-two spots in the points table midway through the tournament is now struggling to secure a victory. Can they break this losing steak tonight?

Punjab Kings' bowling has been their biggest concern in IPL 2026. Arshdeep Singh hasn't fired consistently, while the rest of the pacers like Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett and Lockie Ferguson have been in and out of the side. It'll be interesting to see what combination they go with for today.

Rishabh Pant hasn't enjoyed a good season, and he is yet to even cross the 300-run mark in IPL 2026. However, Pant will take inspiration from the 2025 season, when he had smashed a stunning century in LSG's final game, and hope to replicate that today.

Josh Inglis was at the centre of one of the most high-profile releases ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, with PBKS letting him go in a last-minute move, after Inglis informed them he would miss the majority of the tournament due to him getting married.

Inglis was picked up by LSG for Rs 8.6 crore in the auction, and has played a few fiery knocks already despite joining the team late. For Punjab, perhaps nothing would hurt more than Inglis ending their playoff hopes.

According to reports, Lucknow Super Giants are set to be without star Australia opener Mitchell Marsh for today's match. Marsh has been in sensational form of late, scoring a century and two 90+ scores in his last 4 games.

This means LSG will need to find a different opener alongside Josh Inglis today, adding to Rishabh Pant's headaches. It will certainly be a big boost for PBKS, who will not have to worry about dealing with the in-form opener.

Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings need something spectacular to arrest a disastrous slide and keep their fading playoff hopes alive. The side, which was unbeaten till its seventh game this season, has now lost six on the trot, with its hopes of making it to the next round hanging by a thread.

Hello folks, welcome to NDTV's live blog. Lucknow Super Giants host Punjab Kings at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, tonight. Stay connected for live scores and updates from the game.