Kings of Punjab (PBKS) they ended their campaign in the league stage with a dominant seven-wicket win Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) In the 68th match Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Ekana Cricket Stadium. Chasing a challenging target of 197, PBKS scored a magnificent unbeaten century from the captain Shreyas Iyer completing the chase in just 18 overs and continuing their impressive run in the tournament.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Punjab Kings were put under early pressure with brilliant innings. Josh English and late attack Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad. However, despite Lucknow posting a competitive 196/6, PBKS responded decisively with aggressive batting throughout the chase.
Josh Inglis leads LSG’s batting efforts
Lucknow got off to a shaky start as the Super Giants Arshin Kulkarni first set out for a duck. Nicholas Pooran also failed to make an impact, falling cheaply for just two runs and leaving the home side under pressure in the power play. Josh English then stabilized the innings with a classy knock of 72 off 44 deliveries. The Australian wicketkeeper-batsman mixed aggression with composure and hit nine boundaries with two sixes to keep the scoreboard moving. He found helpful support from the captain Rishabh pantsEntering the game with 26 runs and 22 balls.
He got a big boost in the second half thanks to the shots Ayush Badoni’s explosive chamber. The young batter scored 43 runs off just 18 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes to swing the momentum back towards Lucknow. Abdul Samad also played an important hand with a 20-ball 37 that included three fours and three maximums.
Punjab Kings managed to pull things back a bit in the death overs. Marco Jansen While impressed with the figures of 2/33 Yuzvendra Chahal He once again showed his experience by taking two wickets and conceding just 25 runs in four overs. Azmatullah Omarzai and Shashank Singh also took a wicket each as LSG finished at 196/6.
Shreyas Iyer’s masterclass stuns LSG
Punjab Kings suffered an early setback in the chase Priyansh Arya was fired for a golden duck by Muhammad Shami. However, that was the only moment of joy for Lucknow in an otherwise one-sided chase. Prabhsimran Singh counter-attacked brilliantly and took the pressure off PBKS with a smooth outing of 39 off 69. He hit seven fours and two sixes while adding quick runs during the powerplay. Cooper Connolly He played a decent knock of 18 off just 10 balls before falling Muhammad Shami.
And the evening belonged entirely to Shreyas Iyer. The PBKS captain produced one of his best knocks of the season, remaining unbeaten on 101 off just 51 balls. Iyer dominated the bowling attack with elegant swing and fearless batting, hitting 11 fours and five sixes during his sensational innings.
He paced the chase perfectly and ensured that Punjab Kings never lost control of the contest. Suryansh Shedge Nine remained unbeaten as PBKS crossed the finish line with two passes.
One of the main talking points of the match was his debut in the IPL Arjun Tendulkar for Lucknow Super Giants. The left-arm pacer picked up his first wicket in the tournament when he dismissed Prabhsimra. Arjun also contributed with the bat, scoring five runs during the final overs of the LSG innings. Although the young pacer conceded 36 runs for 4 runs, the wicketkeeper recorded a memorable personal milestone in his debut appearance.
The convincing win gave Punjab Kings a huge confidence boost heading into the playoffs of IPL 2026. Their batting unit looked fearless while the bowlers did enough to restrict Lucknow below the 200-run mark on a batting-friendly surface. For Lucknow Super Giants, it was another disappointing outing in a season full of inconsistency. Despite strong individual performances from Inglis and Badoni, their bowling attack struggled to contain the PBKS hammering in the chase.
Also READ: Fans react as Arjun Tendulkar makes his much awaited debut for LSG in the IPL 2026 clash with PBKS.
Here’s how the fans reacted:
Perfect 💯 Must win game by Shreyas Iyer. The captain 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 follow up by Punjab & Shreyas Iyer. @ShreyasIyer15 this is a prime example of how elite players win little things
If the bowlers try to work them and adjustments to the bowlers at certain lengths.Today, Shreyas was not backing down on the front foot in short order… pic.twitter.com/1qSaCkfkj3
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 23, 2026
ICE COLD FINISH BY SARPANCH SAAB. 🥶
– Shreyas Iyer’s celebration says it all. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ldEucoHrVa
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 23, 2026
🚨 SHREYAS IYER COMPLETES 3000 RUNS AS CAPTAIN IN IPL HISTORY 🚨
– One of the best in IPL history! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/cjC7BTjGkQ
— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) May 23, 2026
Maiden IPL century by Shreyas Iyer!
This is a must-win game!🔥
Where are his haters today? pic.twitter.com/UIQB834IZJ
— Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) May 23, 2026
Check out how Shreyas Iyer feels after crushing his maiden IPL HUNDRED 🥺🔥pic.twitter.com/Yuvf7uQkPX
— Jara (@JARA_Memer) May 23, 2026
The hour will come, the man will come!
Shreyas gets his team over the line and keeps them alive!— Gaurav Kapoor (@gauravkapur) May 23, 2026
Shreyas Iyer has always been criticized by Indian fans that he doesn’t score runs when the openers fail, today was literally 21-2 and Shreyas Iyer’s performance is commendable.
He is the player who helped us win the Champions Trophy 2025 with his batting… pic.twitter.com/OnpTohp0oF
– Soman. (@Shreyasian96) May 23, 2026
PBKS owes it to Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran, but their blood pressure will remain high for the next 24 hours:
If RR and KKR lose tomorrow, PBKS will qualify.
PBKS will still be eligible if RR lose and KKR win, KKR don’t win by 78 or more, or KKR chase them down whatever DC sets them up…— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) May 23, 2026
Shreyas Iyer comes to take revenge
What a beautiful knock shreyyyy 🩷— Mrnamayi 🌺🌸 (@mrnamayi55575) May 23, 2026
Captain Shreyas Iyer — 27 CR for a reason 🔥🔥
Sarpanch Saab delivers at the most important moments.😎#LSGvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/rU8vKPxA1C— Navya (@Navyavibes_) May 23, 2026
First IPL 💯. High quality shot 👏👏. Take a bow 🙏, Shreyas Iyer.#LSGvPBKS #PBKS #TATAIPL #ShreyasIyer pic.twitter.com/UNibaOPrsh
— Gurbinder Kaur (@GKS_18) May 23, 2026
FIRST WIN FOR PBKS IN 7 MATCHES
A LONG WAIT ENDS WITH A GREAT PERFORMANCE
THE HERO OF THE NIGHT IS CAPTAIN SHREYAS FROM JABBA 🫡 pic.twitter.com/LWTYtDMHfC
— Dhiraj (@dhiraj01_) May 23, 2026
THIS ONE SHREYAS IYER APPRECIATES pic.twitter.com/ybHVm0guLn
— (@Molu_k12) May 23, 2026
Shreyas Iyer, match winning hundred 💯
The 4th playoff team decided yesterday 🥶
RR or PBKS, KKR 🥵 #LSGvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/NbR8ZchfDE— Ajay Kudecha (@ajay_kudecha) May 23, 2026
Also WATCH: Yuzvendra Chahal gets upset after removing Rishabh Pant during LSG vs PBKS IPL 2026 clash
