IPL: Prabhsimran and Iyer see LSG off with ease

By Deivarayan Muthu, April 2 (ESPN CRICINFO): Punjab Kings (PBKS) bossed both the powerplays en route to their second successive win in IPL 2025.

After opting to bowl on a fairly two-paced red-soil pitch, they left Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at 39 for 3 in six overs. Abdul Samad and Ayush Badoni helped LSG overcome that poor start and post 171 for 7, which was a par score according to Nicholas Pooran, the holder of the orange cap.

Punjab Kings 177 for 2 (Prabhsimran 69, Iyer 52*, Rathi 2-30) beat Lucknow Super Giants 171 for 7 (Pooran 44, Badoni 41, Arshdeep 3-43) by eight wickets

Pooran's assessment, however, might have changed quickly after Prabhsimran Singh clattered a 23-ball half-century in the chase. Prabhsimran claimed 45 of the 62 runs PBKS had scored in the powerplay. There would be no way back for LSG, who suffered their second defeat in three games. Shreyas Iyer completed PBKS' demolition job with an unbeaten 52 off 30 balls.

PBKS make early inroads

The first ball that Arshdeep Singh bowled to Mitchell Marsh stopped on him, seamed away from a leg-stump line, and had him skying a catch to Marco Jansen at short third. After having hit fifties in his first two innings this season, Marsh departed for a golden duck.

It was Lockie Ferguson who shared new-ball duties with Arshdeep, ahead of Jansen. Ferguson usually operates with the older ball for New Zealand and various franchises, but PBKS inverted his role on Tuesday to take advantage of a match-up with Pooran. Before this fixture, and across all T20s, Ferguson had snared Pooran four times in 17 balls at a strike rate of 7.05.

However, Ferguson ended up bowling just three balls to Pooran on the day. After being picked away for three fours by Aiden Markram, Ferguson bowled him via an inside edge for 28 off 18 balls.

With two left-handers in the form of Pooran and Rishabh Pant in the middle, PBKS matched Glenn Maxwell's off-spin up with them. Maxwell removed Pant for the third time in four innings in the IPL. The IPL's most expensive signing at INR 27 crore, Pant has managed just 17 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 65.38.

Pooran, Samad, Badoni revive LSG

Despite wickets falling at the other end, Pooran remained positive, hitting Maxwell for back-to-back fours in the seventh over. A cat-and-mouse game then ensued between Pooran and Yuzvendra Chahal. The wrist-spinner's plan was to hide the ball away from the swinging arc of Pooran with wrong'uns. In his first over, Pooran cracked his wrong 'uns away for a brace of fours, but in his next Chahal had Pooran holing out to wide long-off for 44 off 30 balls with a loopier wrong 'un.

When Jansen had his South African compatriot David Miller caught behind for 19 off 16 balls, LSG slipped further to 119 for 5 in the 16th over. Badoni and Samad then briefly changed the mood and tempo of the game with a 47-run partnership off only 21 balls. Samad had launched his first ball, from Jansen, for six after stepping out and then left jaws on the floor when he reverse-scooped Arshdeep over the keeper in the 18th over, which cost PBKS 20 runs. Arshdeep had both batters holing out in the final over, though, to keep PBKS below 180.

Prabh power

Prabhsimran relishes pace on the ball and it was no different on Tuesday. Unlike the first innings, the ball skidded onto the bat in the second, with Prabhsimran ramping Shardul Thakur and Avesh Khan for six and four respectively in the first two overs.

Pant responded by throwing mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi at Prabhsimran and Priyansh Arya. Rathi created a chance with his second ball, but Marsh fluffed an overhead catch at slip. The drop, though, cost LSG just one run as Rathi had Arya caught by Thakur at mid-on for 8.

Prabhsimran took down Ravi Bishnoi in the last over of the powerplay. He lined up his wrong 'uns and slog-swept him with the turnover mid-on and square leg. He then greeted dart-it-in left-arm finger spinner M Siddarth, who was picked ahead of Prince Yadav as LSG's Impact Player, with a switch-hit four. He brought up his fifty in ma ore sedate fashion with a tucked single.

It felt like LSG needed something special to dismiss Prabhsimran. That something special was a tag-team catch near the boundary from Badoni and Bishnoi. He holed out for 69 off 34 balls.

PBKS required 62 off 59 balls, which was enough for Iyer to knock off a fifty of his own. He forged an unbroken 67-run standoff 37 balls with Impact Player Nehal Wadhera to finish the job with more than three overs to spare.

PBKS established themselves as the early pace-setters, alongside Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC), in IPL 2025 with two wins in two games.