Kings of Punjab (PBKS) They closed their league stage campaign in style with a dominant seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in game 68 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. Chasing a challenging target of 197, PBKS scored a magnificent unbeaten century from the captain Shreyas Iyer to complete the chase in just 18 overs and continue their impressive run in the tournament.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Punjab Kings came under pressure early on by a brilliant innings from Josh Inglis and a late assault Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad. However, even though Lucknow posted a competitive 196/6, PBKS responded emphatically with aggressive batting throughout the chase.
Josh Inglis leads LSG batting effort
Lucknow Super Giants off to shaky start Arshin Kulkarni He departed for a duck in the first over. Nicolas Pooran He also failed to make an impact, falling by just two runs, leaving the home team under pressure on the power play. Josh Inglis He then steadied the innings with a classy knock of 72 off 44 deliveries. The Australian keeper-batsman mixed aggression with composure and hit nine boundaries along with two sixes to keep the scoreboard moving. He found the captain’s support helpful. RISHABH PANTSwho contributed 26 runs and 22 balls.
Innings received a big boost in the second half thanks to Ayush BadoniThe explosive cameo. The young batsman smashed 43 runs off just 18 balls, hammering five fours and three sixes to bring the momentum back to Lucknow. Abdul Samad He also played a crucial hand with a 20-ball 37 that included three fours and three maximums.
Punjab Kings managed to pull back slightly in the death overs. Marco Jansen impressed with figures of 2/33, while Yuzvendra Chahal He once again showed his experience by claiming two wickets and conceding just 25 runs in his four overs. Azmatullah Omarzai and Shashank Singh also contributed a wicket each as LSG finished on 196/6.
Shreyas Iyer’s masterclass wows LSG
Punjab Kings suffered an early setback in the chase when Priyansh Arya was fired by a golden duck for Mohamed Shami. However, that was the only moment of joy for Lucknow in an otherwise one-sided chase. Prabhsimran Singh He counter-attacked brilliantly and took the pressure off PBKS with a fluent 69 off 39 deliveries. He smashed seven fours and two sixes while adding quick runs during the powerplay. Cooper Connolly He also played a handy knock of 18 off just 10 balls before falling to Mohamed Shami.
The evening, however, belonged entirely to Shreyas Iyer. The PBKS captain produced one of the best knocks of the season, remaining unbeaten on 101 off just 51 balls. Iyer dominated the bowling attack with some elegant game of dauntless hitting and hitting, smashing 11 fours and five sixes during his sensational innings.
He managed the pace of the chase perfectly and ensured that Punjab Kings never lost control of the contest. Suryansh Shed They remained unbeaten on nine as PBKS crossed the finish line with two overs to spare.
One of the main talking points of the match was the IPL debut of Arjun Tendulkar for the Lucknow supergiants. The left-arm pacer managed to take back his first wicket of the tournament when he dismissed Prabhsimran. Arjun also contributed with the bat, scoring five runs during the last overs of LSG’s innings. Although the young pacer conceded 36 runs in his four overs, the wicket marked a memorable personal milestone in his debut appearance.
The convincing victory gave Punjab Kings a huge confidence boost ahead of the knockout stage of IPL 2026. Their batting unit looked fearless while the bowlers did enough to limit Lucknow below the 200-run mark on a batting-friendly surface. For Lucknow Super Giants, it was another disappointing outing in a season filled with inconsistency. Despite strong individual performances from Inglis and Badoni, their bowling attack struggled to contain the PBKS batsmen during the chase.
Also READ: Fans react as Arjun Tendulkar makes long-awaited debut for LSG in IPL 2026 clash against PBKS
This is how the fans reacted:
Excellent 💯 by Shreyas Iyer in a must-win game. Captain leading from the front 👏👏#ShreyasIyer #PBKSvsLSG
-Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R) May 23, 2026
Maiden Century for Shreyas Iyer in IPL 👏👏#ShreyasIyer #LSGvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/C3XlPj8UQ6
– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) May 23, 2026
Quality chase by Punjab and Shreyas Iyer. @ShreyasIyer15 is an excellent example of how these elite players earn little
Adjustments if players are trying to solve them and the pins are a particular length.Today Shreyas was not removing his front leg due to lack of length… pic.twitter.com/1qSaCkfkj3
—Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 23, 2026
SAAB SARPANCH ICE FINISH. 🥶
– Shreyas Iyer’s celebration says it all. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ldEucoHrVa
-Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 23, 2026
🚨 SHREYAS IYER HAS COMPLETED 3000 RUN AS CAPTAIN IN IPL HISTORY 🚨
– One of the best in IPL history! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/cjC7BTjGkQ
– Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) May 23, 2026
Inaugural IPL century by Shreyas Iyer!
And that too in a game you must win!🔥
Where are your enemies today? pic.twitter.com/UIQB834IZJ
– Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) May 23, 2026
Watch Shreyas Iyer’s emotions after crushing his IPL maiden HUNDREDS 🥺🔥pic.twitter.com/Yuvf7uQkPX
-Jara (@JARA_Memer) May 23, 2026
The time comes, the man comes!
Shreyas gets his team across the line and keeps them alive!– Gaurav Kapur (@gauravkapur) May 23, 2026
Shreyas Iyer has always been criticized by Indian fans for not scoring runs when openers fail, today was literally 21-2 and the way Shreyas Iyer played deserves to be appreciated.
He is the player who helped us win the 2025 Champions Trophy with his batting, which helped… pic.twitter.com/OnpTohp0oF
—Somán. (@Shreyasian96) May 23, 2026
PBKS owes it to Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran, but your blood pressure will remain high for the next 24 hours:
PBKS will qualify if RR and KKR lose tomorrow.
PBKS will still qualify if RR loses and KKR wins, unless KKR wins by a margin of 78 or more or if KKR chases whatever DC puts them in…—Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) May 23, 2026
Shreyas Iyer comes for revenge
What a fabulous hit shreyyyy 🩷– मृणमयी 🌺🌸 (@mrnamayi55575) May 23, 2026
Captain Shreyas Iyer – 27 CR for a reason 🔥🔥
Sarpanch Saab delivers when it matters most.😎#LSGvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/rU8vKPxA1C– Marina (@Navyavibes_) May 23, 2026
First IPL 💯. Batting of the highest quality 👏👏. Take a bow 🙏, Shreyas Iyer.#LSGvPBKS #PBKS #TATAIPL #ShreyasIyer pic.twitter.com/UNibaOPrsh
– Gurbinder Kaur (@GKS_18) May 23, 2026
FIRST WIN IN 7 GAMES FOR PBKS
A LONG WAIT ENDS WITH A GREAT PERFORMANCE
CAPTAIN SHREYAS IYER LEADS THE HERO OF THE NIGHT FROM THE FRONT 🫡 pic.twitter.com/LWTYtDMHfC
-Dhiraj (@dhiraj01_) May 23, 2026
THIS IS AN APPRECIATION POST BY SHREYAS IYER pic.twitter.com/ybHVm0guLn
— 𝓪𝓷𝓶𝓸𝓵 ✨ (@Molu_k12) May 23, 2026
Shreyas Iyer, hundred match winners 💯
The 4th Playoff team was decided last day 🥶
RR or PBKS, KKR 🥵 #LSGvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/NbR8ZchfDE– Ajay Kudecha (@ajay_kudecha) May 23, 2026
Also WATCH: Yuzvendra Chahal cheers up after removing Rishabh pant during LSG vs PBKS IPL 2026 clash
