Punjab King were handed a blow even before the match with the captain and batting talisman Shikhar Dhawan sustaining a shoulder injury and missing the match. All-rounder Sam Curran led the team in his absence and chose to bowl first after winning the toss. They did a good job under him with the ball as they restricted LSG to 159/8. PBKS lost three wickets in the powerplay but Sikandar Raza anchored the chase as they were struggling to keep their wickets together. Raza himself fell after scoring 57 off 41 but Shahrukh Khan then did the perfect finishing act, smashing an unbeaten 23 off 10 balls to take Punjab over the line. Read the Match Report of the LSG vs PBKS game and share your thoughts in the comments.
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LSG vs PBKS: IPL 2023 Match Report
Kl Rahul & Kyle Mayers gave a decent start to Lucknow Super Giants
KL Rahul and Kyle Mayers opened for LSG. On the other side, Matt Short started the proceedings for PBKS. Lucknow had a great start with Kyle Mayers carrying his brilliant form. Mayers started off in style with a six. He smashed 3 sixes and 1 four to score 29 runs. Harpreet Brar dismissed him. Kl Rahul hasn't been good this season but he showed his class right from the start. LSG lost Hooda's wicket early after the fall of Kyle Mayers.
Krunal Pandya built a stable partnership with skipper Kl Rahul but couldn't extend the inning longer. Pandya lost his wicket after scoring 18 runs. He never managed to change gears in time. Rahul got to his fifty in style and this was ominous for PBKS. He got to his first half-century of the season and it has come in 40 balls. Punjab had a huge relief as they dismissed the dangerous man Pooran for a duck. It was none other than Rabada who sent him home.
Pooran's wicket brought Marcus Stoinis came to the crease. Stonis played a little cameo with two sixes but Sam Curran sent him back to the dugout after scoring 15 runs. Kl Rahul scored 74 runs in 56 deliveries with 8 fours and 1 six as the left-handed Arshdeep Singh removed him from the crease. Punjab Kings managed to score only 159 runs after loosing 8 wickets at the end of 20 overs. It was too low according to the pitch but the bowlers did pretty well. Sam Curran picked up 3 wickets while Rabada got 2 wickets.
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Punjab Kings registered their third victory after a dreadful start
PBKS lost three wickets in the powerplay including the big-hitting Matthew Short. Sikandar Raza anchored the chase but they were struggling to keep their wickets together. Raza fell after scoring 57 off 41 but Shahrukh Khan did the perfect finishing act, smashing an unbeaten 23 off 10 balls to take Punjab over the line. Short played a brilliant 22-ball 34 with five fours and 1 six but Gowtham dismissed him at the right time.
Sam Curran & Jitesh Sharma couldn't contribute too much with the bat but Sharukh Khan was waiting for his moment and he stepped up big time. Yudhvir Singh, Bishnoi & Wood picked up 2 wickets each but Punjab still somehow managed to chase the score. Punjab Kings registered their third victory after playing five matches till now in the campaign.