PBKS aim to make the most of home stretch in Dharamsala

By Sruthi Ravindranath, (ESPN CRICINFO), May 3: Big Picture: Fifty-plus games in, two teams have already been knocked out of IPL 2025, and one team is on the brink of elimination. Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), currently at fourth and sixth, are very much in contention for the playoffs and will aim to boost their chances on Sunday.

A sweaty Shreyas Iyer turned up for the post-match presentation in hot-and-humid Chennai after the win against Chennai Super Kings in the previous game, but as the action heads to Dharamsala, PBKS' second home ground, there's hope for some respite from the heat. It is the venue where PBKS also had their pre-season camp, with head coach Ricky Ponting then highlighting the importance of getting a "feel of the ground" early. PBKS will play their next three games in Dharamsala and winning all three could seal a two-top finish for PBKS.

Their Indian core - specifically the top three comprising Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya and Shreyas - has done the heavy lifting, exposing the gaping hole in the middle order, which has the second-worst strike-rate among all ten teams this season. They've also had a No. 4 roulette this season, using as many as five players in that position in ten games.

LSG also have a similar problem. They're top-heavy, but the only difference is that they've been too dependent on their overseas batters. Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran have scored a combined 62.79% of their total runs this season. After walking in as low as No. 7 in the match against Delhi Capitals, captain Rishabh Pant pushed himself back up to No. 4 but he continues to struggle for form.

For LSG, the situation isn't dire yet, but a loss would push them behind in the race, considering there's a four-point gap between the top-three and them already. They've lost three of their last four games, which has coincided with Pooran's dip in form. They will be coming into this game feeling refreshed after a six-day break, with a few players heading to Dharamsala early, hoping for a turnaround.

Form Guide

Punjab Kings WLWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Lucknow Super Giants LLWLW

The big question

After the win in Chennai, Ponting suggested that PBKS might tweak their combination depending on the conditions in Dharamsala. If there's swing and seam movement on offer, they might be tempted to recall Xavier Bartlett.

In the spotlight: Yuzvendra Chahal and Nicholas Pooran

It's been an IPL of two halves for Yuzvendra Chahal. After taking just two wickets in his first five matches at an economy rate of 11.1, he's turned it around in style, picking up 11 wickets in the last four at an economy rate of 7.6. In the last match, he was kept away after bowling two overs in the first ten overs against CSK's left-handers-heavy line-up, and was brought back to bowl the 19th over. He picked four wickets, including a hat-trick, and quashed CSK's hopes of a 200-plus total. He will be key against the LSG line-up: he's dismissed Pooran twice in seven innings and Pant thrice in 13 innings, with both striking at less than 145 against him.

After an explosive start to the season where he made four fifties in six games, Nicholas Pooran has had average outings in his last four games. He's been dominant against spin all season, striking at 264, while his team-mates have struggled, scoring at a combined strike-rate of just 127. He's been dismissed by fast bowlers in his last four games, thrice by deliveries that have been angled in and once by Mitchell Starc's slower short ball. LSG's playoff hopes hinge on Pooran, whose form has been crucial in almost all of LSG's wins this season.

Team News and probable XIIs

With Glenn Maxwell out of rest of IPL 2025 with injury, PBKS played with just three overseas players in Marco Jansen, Azmat Omarzai and Josh Inglis against CSK, bringing the uncapped Suryansh Shedge into their team and leaving Marcus Stoinis out. Shedge was taken for 40 runs in his three overs and was out for 1 off 3 in the chase. If the conditions are conductive to swing, PBKS might recall Bartlett, who is a new-ball specialist.

PBKS (probable XII): 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nehal Wadhera, 5 Shashank Singh, 6 Josh Inglis (wk), 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Suryansh Shedge, 9 Azmatullah Omarzai, 10 Harpreet Brar/Xavier Bartlett, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Arshdeep Singh

Fast bowler Mayank Yadav returned to the LSG line-up against Mumbai Indians after a long injury break, with Shardul Thakur making way. He returned a slower bowler, bowling eight slower deliveries at Wankhede Stadium, the most he's bowled in a single T20 match and finished with figures of 2 for 40. While LSG mentor Zaheer Khan indicated the team will keep his workload in mind, the long break after the last game will work well for Mayank.

LSG (probable XII): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 David Miller 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Mayank Yadav, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Digvesh Rathi, 11 Avesh Khan, 12 Prince Yadav

Stats that matter

Arshdeep Singh could be key against LSG's openers: he has dismissed Aiden Markram four times in 13 meetings and has got Marsh out twice in four meetings.

PBKS have lost all four matches they've played in Dharamsala since 2023.

While Arya has been a force while batting first (299 runs at an average of 49.8 and strike rate of 214), he's not been able to get going in chases, making just 47 runs in four games at 11.8 average.

Irrespective of his inconsistent form, Shreyas will be happy to return to Dharamsala, a venue where he scored 73* and 74* in his last two games in 2022.

Pitch and conditions

The average first-innings score in Dharamsala in the last four IPL games since 2023 is 201. Teams have opted to bowl first in all four games and only once have they gone on to win the match. While light showers are expected during the day, the temperature in the evening is forecast to be around 16 degrees Celsius.