Shreyas Iyer smashed 101* off 51 balls as Punjab Kings chased 197 against Lucknow Super Giants with 2 overs remaining, securing a 7-wicket win.
Punjab Kings pulled off an excellent chase, surpassing Lucknow Super Giants’ competitive 196/6 with 7 wickets in hand and 2 overs to spare, powered by a century from Shreyas Iyer.
Lucknow got off to a shaky start, losing Arshin Kulkarni for a duck in just the second over to Azmatullah Omarzai. Nicholas Pooran followed cheaply for just 2, bowled by Marco Jansen, leaving the hosts reeling at 20/2. Ayush Badoni provided the rescue act with 43 off 18 balls, including 5 fours and 3 sixes, but was stumped off by Prabhsimran Singh Yuzvendra Chahal. Josh Inglis anchored the innings with a composed 72 off 44, before falling in the 17th over. Abdul Samad’s late fireworks gave LSG a defendable total of 196.
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Punjab’s chase began in chaos, with Priyansh Arya dismissed for a golden duck off Mohammed Shami’s very first ball. Cooper Connolly made a quickfire 18 before being bowled. Then came the partnership that sealed the game,of Prabhsimran Singh (69 off 39) and Shreyas Iyer. The duo added a match-winning 140 for the third wicket. Prabhsimran fell LBW to Arjun Tendulkar for 69, but Iyer was unstoppable, reaching his century off just 51 balls with 11 fours and 5 sixes, finishing 101* at an excellent strike rate of 198. Punjab crossed the line in the 18th over with ease.
With this win, Punjab Kings have kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive. However, their qualification hopes now depend on results from Sunday, May 24.
Punjab need Rajasthan Royals to lose against Mumbai Indians. A Rajasthan win will take them to 16 points and knock PBKS out of the race.
Punjab also require Kolkata Knight Riders to stay behind on NRR if they beat Delhi Capitals. KKR currently hold an NRR of +0.011, far below Punjab’s +0.309.
Quality chase by Punjab & Shreyas Iyer. @ShreyasIyer15 is a prime example of how these elite players make small little
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 23, 2026
Adjustments if bowlers are trying to work them out and bowls at particular length.
Today Shreyas was not withdrawing his front leg on short of length… pic.twitter.com/1qSaCkfkj3
Cometh the hour, cometh the Iyer!!
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) May 23, 2026
Captains knock through and through! Brilliant partnership under pressure between Prabh and Iyer to keep Punjab alive, well played 👏🏻 #LSGvPBKS #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/JSDFbdhHHq
What a way to get his first 💯 in the IPL. @ShreyasIyer15 brilliant batting.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 23, 2026
Skipper needed to stand up – impressive knock from Iyer! Phenomenal chase.
— Mitchell McClenaghan (@Mitch_Savage) May 23, 2026
.@prabhsimran01 continues with his great form in a crunch game but in the end sarpanch @ShreyasIyer15 packs a punch with a brilliant hundred! Whatever the results it’s just great to see how Shreyas has led from the front! Good luck @PunjabKingsIPL! Also great to see…
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) May 23, 2026
Shreyas Iyer is as good as Virat Kohli while chasing in the IPL. Some player this guy. #IPL
— Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) May 23, 2026
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