Prabhsimran smashes 91 as Punjab Kings push Lucknow towards exit door

Prabhsimran Singh was in his element as he smashed a 48-ball 91 to not only help Punjab Kings defeat Lucknow Super Giants by 37 runs but also surpass the 200-run mark at the HPCA Stadium after 14 years in the IPL.

It was in 2011 when Punjab Kings (previously Kings XI) posted 232/2 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was a repeat of that performance by Punjab as Prabhsimran made full use of a lifeline, hitting seven sixes and six fours, to lead the hosts to 236/5. It is the second-highest IPL total at this ground. With this win, the Kings now jumped to the second spot with 15 points. Meanwhile, LSG suffered their third consecutive loss to stay in seventh place.

Playing his first match after two years, left-arm pacer Akash Singh tried his best to stop the Punjab Kings top-order. However, an expensive two-over spell by Mayank Yadav undid Akash’s good work and helped the hosts to build a strong foundation.

While Yadav leaked 36 in two overs, Akash conceded 20 in three during the powerplay. He also accounted for two wickets — Priyansh Arya (1) and Josh Inglis, who was promoted to one-down and smashed a 14-ball 30 studded with four towering sixes. Akash eventually finished with figures of 2/30.

Meanwhile, Yadav’s expensive spell forced LSG skipper Rishabh Pant to introduce Avesh Khan and Digvesh Rathi to the attack. However, the Kings’ batters — especially Prabhsimran — were in no mood to be tied down. The Kings launched 16 sixes out of which 13 were off the pacers.

They reached the 100-run mark in 10 overs as Prabhsimran showcased his class. The opener made the most of the lifeline after being dropped by Nicolas Pooran at mid-off in the 6th over. Prabhsimran, with the support of skipper Shreyas Iyer, led the team to 128/2 in 12 overs.

Iyer hit 45 off 25 balls studded with four boundaries and two sixes. The duo added 78 runs before Iyer misjudged Rathi’s length and ended up getting caught at backward point. Prabhsimran continued to hit some of his trademark shots. He helped the side maintain an 11.75 run rate and even launched the longest six of the match off Khan.

The Punjab batter should have got his second IPL hundred but an ambitious switch hit off Rathi saw him head back to the pavilion. Towards the end, Shashank Singh posted 33 off 15 balls.

Chasing a steep target, LSG needed a strong start but fell to 36/3 in the powerplay after Arshdeep Singh dismissed the top-three — Mitchell Marsh (0), Aiden Markram (13) and Pooran (6).

Their departure led to the arrival of skipper Pant but his poor run continued. Attempting a six off Azmatullah Omarzai, Pant lost his grip on the bat and the ball ended up in the safe hands of Shashank at deep point. Ayush Badoni (74 off 40 balls, five sixes and five fours) and Abdul Samad (45) put up a fight with an 81-run partnership but couldn’t get LSG the win.