Shreyas Iyer Smashes Unbeaten Century as Punjab Kings Cruise Past Lucknow

Punjab Kings won by 7 wickets (with 12 balls remaining) against Lucknow Super Giants in the 68th match of IPL 2026 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. Shreyas Iyer produced a sensational 101* off 51 balls to anchor a clinical chase of 197, confirming PBKS’s playoff spot and condemning LSG to a bottom-place finish.

First Innings – LSG 196/6 (20 overs)

Lucknow’s innings looked in serious trouble early. Arshin Kulkarni fell for a duck in the second over, and Nicholas Pooran managed just 2 off 7 before being bowled by Marco Jansen, leaving LSG stuttering at 20/2 inside three overs.

Enter Ayush Badoni. The right-hander launched an extraordinary counterattack, smashing 43 off just 18 balls at a strike rate of 239 with five fours and three sixes. His assault dragged LSG from crisis to 69/3 in the powerplay before Yuzvendra Chahal had him stumped – a dismissal that would prove pivotal.

Josh Inglis then took over responsibility, compiling a measured 72 off 44 balls with nine fours and two sixes. His partnership with Rishabh Pant (26 off 22) rebuilt through the middle overs, pushing the score from 69 to 134 before Pant fell in the 14th over. Inglis carried on until the 17th over when he was caught for 72 with the score on 169. Abdul Samad finished with a blistering unbeaten 37 off 20 at a strike rate of 185, hitting three fours and three sixes to push LSG to a competitive 196/6.

Chahal was the standout with the ball, returning figures of 2/25 from his four overs at an economy of 6.25 – the only bowler to go under seven an over. Jansen chipped in with 2/33, while Arshdeep Singh had an unusually expensive night, conceding 52 from three wicketless overs.

Second Innings – PBKS 200/3 (18 overs)

Punjab’s chase wobbled immediately. Priyansh Arya was caught off the very first ball, and when Cooper Connolly – who had raced to 18 off 10 with four boundaries – was bowled in the third over, PBKS were 22/2 and the Ekana crowd sensed an opportunity.

What followed was total domination. Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer put on 140 runs together, systematically dismantling the LSG attack. Prabhsimran was superb, striking 69 off 39 balls with seven fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 177 before falling LBW in the 15th over with the score on 162.

By then, the game was long gone. Iyer was in imperious form and brought up his century – 101* off 51 deliveries, laced with 11 fours and 5 sixes at a strike rate of 198. It was controlled violence at its finest, and Suryansh Shedge (9* off 7) barely needed to do anything as PBKS reached 200/3 with two full overs to spare.

LSG’s bowling was toothless in the chase. Mohammed Shami was the only wicket-taker with 2/45 from four overs, but Mohsin Khan (0/48), Digvesh Rathi (0/39), and Prince Yadav (0/32) all went at over 10 an over. Arjun Tendulkar was the most economical of the LSG bowlers, conceding 36 from his four overs while picking up one wicket.

Statz MVP – Shreyas Iyer

No debate here. Shreyas Iyer recorded a Statz mi_rating of 110.01 – the highest in the match by a distance and one of the best individual performances of the IPL 2026 season. Statz agrees with the official Man of the Match award. Iyer’s season mi_rating now sits at 570.94 total with a 43.92 average across 13 matches – underlining his consistency throughout this campaign.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

View the full scorecard on Statz

Turning Point

Two moments defined this match. The first was Ayush Badoni’s stumping off Chahal at 69/3 in the seventh over. Badoni was striking at 239 and looked capable of taking LSG well beyond 220. His departure capped the powerplay damage and meant LSG had to rebuild rather than accelerate – the difference between a daunting total and a gettable one.

The second was the 140-run partnership between Prabhsimran and Iyer that turned the chase from precarious at 22/2 into a procession. When Prabhsimran fell at 162 in the 15th over, PBKS needed just 35 from 33 balls with Iyer set on 70-odd. The contest was already over.

Match Context

This was the 68th match of 74 in the IPL 2026 regular season, and it confirmed the playoff picture. Punjab Kings finish 4th in the league phase with 7 wins from 14 matches (15 points, NRR +0.309) and head into the playoffs with genuine momentum – this was a statement chase on the road.

For Lucknow Super Giants, it has been a season to forget. They finish rock bottom in 10th with just 4 wins from 14 (8 points, NRR -0.686). A squad that includes Pant, Pooran, and Inglis should not be finishing last, and there will be serious questions to answer in the off-season.

PBKS, meanwhile, will fancy their chances in the knockouts with Iyer in this kind of form. A captain’s knock to take into the business end.