Unbeaten, unbroken, unbowed: Priyansh, Connolly energy Punjab to epic thrashing of LSG


Temporary Rating: PBKS (254 for 7 in 20 overs) beat LSG (200/5 in 20 overs) by 54 runs in Match No.29 of IPL 2026 in Mullanpur on Sunday. PBKS vs LSG, IPL 2026: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD

They are saying that you need to be cautious what you want for. On the toss, Lucknow Tremendous Giants captain Rishabh Pant wished that his crew would fairly attempt to take the chance and rating 220, fairly than hit 200 runs and hope that the bowling assault does its trick.

Protected to say, Pant bought what he wished for. Inside one and a half hours of creating these feedback, Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings handed Lucknow the very best run chase within the Indian Premier League 2026. Kids Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly launched an astonishing assault towards the guests, serving to Punjab to a mammoth complete of 254 runs, which proved just a little too huge for the Lucknow Tremendous Giants to chase down.

Dealing with that mega rating on an absolute tarmac on the Mullanpur Stadium, LSG batters have been at all times left chasing the sport, and ended up ending with the rating of 200/5, falling quick by 54 runs within the night recreation of Sunday, April 19.

This was the third loss in a row for Rishabh Pant’s LSG, who final gained a recreation towards KKR on the Eden Gardens, courtesy of Mukul Choudhary’s late blitz. LSG wanted a lot of these blitzes at this time, however not a single batter, together with captain Rishabh Pant, was capable of convert their begins into huge scores on Sunday.

It was a tricky night time for the complete LSG camp, as Punjab ripped aside the crew piece by piece, sinking the LSG ship additional within the IPL desk.

PRIYANSH, CONNOLLY WREAK HAVOC

Cooper Connolly and Priyansh Arya placed on 182 for the second wicket. Courtesy: Reuters

On Sunday, LSG gained the toss and opted to bowl first, taking Punjab Kings’ robust chasing capabilities out of the sport. Punjab, over the previous two seasons, have chased down essentially the most 200+ totals within the Indian Premier League, a pattern that has continued this yr as properly.

After getting the toss proper, LSG have been off to a flying begin, breaking the opening partnership of Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya within the first over itself. Mohammed Shami, veteran of 125 matches, edged in-form Prabhsimran Singh to first slip. With Prabh gone, Punjab instantly had two children on the crease towards a potent bowling assault.

Connolly, who rose to fame in Punjab’s opening recreation of the season towards Gujarat Titansstruggled arduous contained in the powerplay, failing to learn Mohsin Khan. Connolly was out practically twice towards Mohsin on Sunday, first after getting rapped on the pads, a choice that was denied by the umpire, just for the replays to point out later that he was LBW, plumb in entrance of the wicket. Mohsin then dropped Connolly off his personal bowling, making the primary few overs of the sport a tentative competitors between the bat and the ball.

Whereas Connolly struggled, Priyansh discovered his vary early, racing to 21 off 8 towards the bowlers that Connolly was struggling towards. Priyansh’s assault within the early a part of the innings helped Punjab keep a run charge of 10 per over within the powerplay.

By the tip of the powerplay, Connolly was struggling horribly, stuttering at 19 off 22 balls, batting at a strike charge of simply 86.

Even at this level, there was no indication that this might find yourself being a 250-run complete. It was not a type of begins, 100/2, 107/1 inside the primary 6 overs, which assist groups stick with it the momentum after the powerplay.

Simply when it appeared like one thing would give if stress was utilized on Punjab, Rishabh Pant, the LSG captain, determined to let the batters off the hook by bowling part-timer Ayush Badoni within the first over after the powerplay.

This was maybe the precise break that Connolly wanted. The left-hander hit Badoni for a 4 and a six, and from there by no means appeared again. The pictures, which appeared laborious at the beginning of the innings, began reaching the boundary, having damaged the shackles within the center overs.

Seeing Connolly discover his type, Priyansh Arya went berserk on the different finish. He accomplished his fifty in 19 balls, after which went round smashing Shami, Avesh Khan, and Aiden Markram in an astonishing bout of counter-attack.

From 63/1 in 6 overs, the Connolly-Priyansh counterattack had LSG operating round like headless chickens, as they leaked 120 runs within the subsequent 8 overs.

By the point Connolly and Priyansh have been finished with LSG, the duo had put collectively 182 runs in simply 80 balls.

Connolly was the primary to go, having scored 87 off 46, taking Punjab’s complete to an astonishing 186/2 in simply 14 overs.

The injury, by that point, was finished.

RISHABH PANT MAKES QUESTIONABLE CALLS

And one has to speak about Rishabh Pant’s captaincy right here, who had Manimaran Siddharth at his disposal, a powerplay specialist spinner, who he selected to not bowl within the first 6 overs. Moreover, Pant determined to usher in Badoni within the seventh, an over that basically flipped the sport on its head.

Pant’s lack of belief in Siddharth was complicated, because the spinner had been performed forward of Digvesh Rathi, one among LSG’s mainstays final season. After giving 10 runs in his first over (ninth within the match), the spinner was as soon as once more held again until the fifteenth, when he returned and instantly dismissed a rampaging Priyansh Arya (93 off 37), who appeared set for his second hundred within the IPL.

As soon as once more, Pant’s captaincy must be questioned, as he fed Aiden Markram to the in-form left-handers, an over that leaked 32 runs simply 2 overs earlier than Siddharth’s.

Lucknow have been very fortunate that Punjab, in contrast to on most days, weren’t capable of capitalize on the partnership. From 186/2 within the 14th, Punjab added solely 68 runs within the ultimate 6 overs. Prince Yadav must be credited for his degree head, bowling his cutters and quick balls, registering figures of 4-0-25-2, figures that got here in sharp distinction to the remainder of the LSG bowling unit.

Coming in to bowl, Punjab knew that they solely wanted to include to win the sport. And so they managed that very properly, courtesy of Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yuzvendra Chahal, who executed their roles properly for the higher a part of the day.

MOUNTAIN TOO STEEP TO SCALE FOR LSG

Rishabh Pant scored 43 runs in Lucknow Tremendous Giants’ chase. Courtesy:AP

Chasing 255, Lucknow knew that they needed to bat in only one gear. In a determined bid, they switched their opening mixture, choosing Ayush Badoni and Mitchell Marsh, instead of Marsh and Aiden Markram, who often open for the crew.

The transfer was geared toward defending Markram from Arshdeep Singh, who has the wooden over the batter within the T20 format. LSG’s transfer labored, briefly, when Badoni and Marsh raced to 61 runs within the powerplay, practically an identical to Punjab’s exploits within the first innings.

Badoni (35 off 21) was the primary to fall, making an attempt to hit the ball arduous and ending up shedding his form. A annoyed Marsh (40 off 28) was second to go, irritated by Yuzvendra Chahal’s skill to float the ball in and skid by way of the floor. Marsh ended up discovering a tall Xavier Bartlett, ready to pounce upon a mistimed shot from the batter, which finally arrived within the twelfth over of the sport.

And from there, it was enterprise as common. Rishabh Pant (43 off 23) performed some good pictures, however was unable to maintain his momentum. Nicholas Pooran continued his horror type this season. Batting out of place, Markram scored 42 off 22, hitting it straight to Marco Jansen at long-off.

LSG maybe wouldn’t even have reached the 200-run mark if not for a flurry of dropped catches from Punjab. Fairly uncharacteristic of a Ricky Ponting aspect, Punjab dropped 4 clear possibilities in complete. There have been extra on the boundary traces and a few caught-and-bowled makes an attempt that PBKS ought to in all probability have held on to.

Ponting, on the sidelines, was baffled on the fielding show and turned pink in anger within the dugout. And it will maybe be one of many discussions that Punjab Kings will in all probability have after the sport, regardless of persevering with their unbeaten run this season.

As for LSG, life simply bought harder. Forward of the PBKS match, the LSG proprietor did an interview with NDTV the place he was requested if the rumors of his offended burst on the captains have been actual. The LSG proprietor denied it then, however which may find yourself altering at this time.

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Revealed By:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Revealed On:

Apr 20, 2026 00:10 IST

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