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Punjab Kings finally found air when their season was almost out of breath. After six consecutive defeats had pushed them from early-season dominance to the edge of elimination, Shreyas Iyer's side produced a superb chase against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Chasing 197 in a must-win game, PBKS recovered from 22/2 and stormed to 200/3 in just 18 overs, winning by seven wickets and keeping their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive for at least one more day.
Shreyas Iyer delivers maiden IPL century in perfect moment
Punjab Kings' chase started in nightmare fashion. Priyansh Arya fell first ball to Mohammed Shami, and Cooper Connolly was bowled for 18 soon after, leaving PBKS under pressure at 22/2.
Then came the captain's innings Punjab Kings had been waiting for. Shreyas Iyer walked in with the season on the line and played one of the finest knocks of his IPL career. He started by rebuilding with Prabhsimran Singh, then exploded once the chase came under control.
Shreyas Iyer finished unbeaten on 101 off 51 balls, with 11 fours and five sixes. Fittingly, he reached his maiden IPL hundred with the winning shot, smashing Mohsin Khan for six over wide long-on in the 18th over. It was not just a century; it was a rescue act, a captaincy statement and a playoff lifeline rolled into one.
With 35 needed after Prabhsimran's wicket, Shreyas Iyer took full charge. He attacked Mohammed Shami for three sixes and made sure Punjab Kings did not drag the game deep enough for panic to return.
Prabhsimran Singh sets up the chase for Punjab Kings
While Shreyas Iyer finished the job, Prabhsimran Singh gave Punjab Kings the platform. The wicketkeeper-batter survived a dropped chance by Rishabh Pant on 20 and made LSG pay heavily.
Prabhsimran scored 69 off 39 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes. His partnership with Iyer was the turning point of the chase. The pair added 140 runs for the third wicket after Punjab Kings had lost two early wickets, shifting the match completely away from Lucknow.
Prabhsimran reached his fifty off 28 balls, while Iyer got there in 33 balls. By the time Prabhsimran fell lbw to Arjun Tendulkar at 162 in the 15th over, Punjab needed only 35 from 30 balls. From there, Iyer turned the finish into a statement.
LSG vs PBKS: Inglis, Badoni power Lucknow to 196
Earlier, Lucknow Super Giants posted 196/6 after being asked to bat first. Josh Inglis held the innings together with a fluent 72 off 44 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes. Ayush Badoni gave the innings its early punch with a blazing 43 off 18 balls, while Abdul Samad finished strongly with an unbeaten 37 off 20.
LSG had a shaky start, losing Arshin Kulkarni for a duck and Nicholas Pooran for 2. But Inglis and Badoni counterattacked well, taking Lucknow to 69/3 by the seventh over. Rishabh Pant made 26, but could not fully kick on.
For Punjab, Marco Jansen and Yuzvendra Chahal were excellent. Jansen took 2/33, while Chahal returned 2/25 in four overs. Shashank Singh and Azmatullah Omarzai picked up one wicket each. Arshdeep Singh had a rare expensive outing, conceding 52 in three overs.
IPL 2026 Playoffs: PBKS move to fourth, but still need help
The win pushed Punjab Kings to fourth on the points table and snapped their six-match losing streak. But qualification is not yet guaranteed.
If Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians on Sunday afternoon, PBKS will be knocked out. If RR lose, Punjab will be in a strong position to qualify. Kolkata Knight Riders can still challenge them on Net Run Rate, but only with a massive win over Delhi Capitals. If KKR score 200, they would need to beat DC by around 77 runs. If chasing 180, they would need to finish the chase in roughly 12 to 12.5 overs.
So Punjab live another day, but the calculator is still out.
For now, though, this was the night Shreyas Iyer stood tall. After six straight defeats, endless pressure and a season sliding towards disaster, PBKS finally won again. And their captain made sure they did it with a hundred that could still define their campaign.
Also READ: Why Rajasthan Royals are favourites ahead of Punjab Kings and KKR in IPL 2026 playoff race?
