Prabhsimran, bowlers take PBKS to an easy win

LUCKNOW: The Punjab Kings exploited the conditions well to beat hosts Lucknow Super Giants and clinch back-to-back wins in IPL 18 here on Tuesday.

Almost all the LSG batters, including skipper Rishabh Pant, found batting to be a struggle against a disciplined bowling attack at the Ekana Cricket Stadium and they only managed to post a sub-par 171/7 at the end of their 20 overs. PBKS, though, found the going much easier and cruised to an eight-wicket win with 22 balls to spare.

Opener Prabhsimran Singh was in fine touch at the top of the order and raced to his maiden fifty of the season in just 23 balls as PBKS scored 62/1 in the Powerplay.

He didn’t let up after that and continued to make a mockery of the LSG bowlers with powerful hits all around the ground while scoring 33-ball 69 (4x9, 3x6) before being caught by Ravi Bishnoi in an exceptional joint effort with Ayush Badoni on the boundary line.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer, who scored an unbeaten 97 in the previous match against Gujarat Giants in PBKS’s first match of the season, showed that he was indeed in a rich vein of form. He kept hammering the LSG bowlers while staying unbeaten to finish off the chase.

The Mumbaikar, who was a key factor in Team India’s title win at the Champions Trophy recently, struck 52 in 30 balls with the help of three boundaries and four sixes.

Iyer was well supported by impact substitute Nehal Wadhera, who scored an unbeaten 43 in 25 balls with the help of two boundaries and four sixes as PBKS romped home in 16.2 overs. The two shared an unbroken stand of 67 off 37 balls.

Earlier, LSG never got going and by the end of the Powerplay, they were struggling at 39/3 after Shreyas Iyer chose to field first. His bowlers responded well to the call and had the hosts in trouble soon.

In-form opener Mitchell March, surprised by the bounce, was dismissed for a golden duck. He offered a simple catch to Marco Janson in the short third region. Fellow opener Aiden Markram (28,18b,4x4,1x6), after hitting Arshdeep for three consecutive boundaries in his second over, got an inside edge back onto his stumps off Lockie Ferguson.

It got worse for the home team as Iyer’s decision to introduce Glenn Maxwell within the Powerplay, clicked well. LSG skipper Rishabh Pant failed with willow yet again, offering a simple catch to Yuzvendra Chahal at short fine leg after making just two in five deliveries.

The big-hitting Nicolas Pooran, though, continued along his merry way. Given the match situation, he took a while to get going but once he found some support, he looked like taking LSG to safety.

But that is when the experience of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal helped PBKS. He bowled a wide googly and the left-hander went after it. He didn’t connect well and was caught by Maxwell at long-off. Pooran’s 30-ball 44 was studded with five boundaries and two sixes.

Wickets continued to fall regualrly after that as David Millar (19, 18b, 3x4) failed to last long too, nicking Jansen to keeper Prabhsimran.

A 57-run sixth wicket partnership between Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad helped LSG cross the 150-run mark, but their wickets saw the team fall well short of a competitive total.

Badoni (41, 33b, 1x4, 3x6) miscued and Maxwell took a good running catch at deep mid-wicket to end his innings, whereas Samad’s 12-ball 27 was studded with two boundaries and equal number of sixes.

It was a perfect bowling performance by PBKS as everyone from pacers to spinners did it their job well. Arshdeep (3/43), Lockie Ferguson (1/26) and Marco Jansen (1/28) were on target while spinners Maxwell (1/22) and Chahal (1/36) chipped in with vital wickets.