Yesterday IPL Match Result: Punjab Kings keep playoff hopes alive with dominant win over LSG

LUCKNOW: Punjab Kings have finally stemmed the rot and kept themselves alive in the race for an IPL playoff berth. After six consecutive losses had left them on the brink, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer and opener Prabhsimran Singh rediscovered the touch that had made the side look such a formidable outfit at the beginning of the season.Iyer, unbeaten on 101 off 51 balls, completed his maiden IPL century with a heave over wide long-on off the last ball of the 18th over. It was the stroke that also sealed Punjab’s win.

PBKS can still be knocked out on Sunday if Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians and move to 16 points, one more than last year’s finalists Punjab.On Saturday, Punjab were reduced to 22/2 in the third over while chasing 197 and a familiar script seemed to be unfolding. But Prabhsimran, who made 69 off 39 balls, and Iyer put on 140 off 76 balls for the third wicket to take the game away from LSG.The pair complemented each other brilliantly, bringing out the big shots whenever necessary as a demotivated LSG attack began to look pedestrian. Prabhsimran was eventually dismissed by a superb yorker from left-arm medium-pacer Arjun Tendulkar, who finished with 1/36 on his LSG debut, but by then the match was all but over.After Prabhsimran’s dismissal, Iyer took it upon himself to take Punjab home.Earlier, Josh Inglis was in his element, scoring 72 off 42 balls to guide LSG to 196/6.

Inglis and Rishabh Pant, who made 26, added 65 for the fourth wicket as LSG fought back from 69/3 in the seventh over.Inglis began with an assault on Arshdeep Singh, hitting him for four fours in the first over. But after LSG lost Arshin Kulkarni and Nicholas Pooran cheaply, Inglis allowed No. 4 Ayush Badoni to prosper for a while. Badoni smashed an 18-ball 43 and added 49 for the third wicket with Inglis. He attacked Azmatullah Omarzai, taking him for 24 runs in the fifth over, which allowed LSG to maintain their momentum in the powerplay.

Badoni departed when Prabhsimran effected a smart stumping off Yuzvendra Chahal, with the batter’s left leg still in the air.From there, Inglis took over again, hitting Arshdeep for some quick runs. The Australian managed six fours and two sixes off the India pacer — a record Arshdeep will not be too proud of. Inglis reached his half-century off 28 balls, but lost Pant at the other end, with the LSG captain falling to Chahal, who finished with 2/25.Inglis finally departed trying to take on part-time medium-pacer Shashank Singh, but his hoick found Iyer at straight longon. Abdul Samad, unbeaten on 37 off 20 balls, managed a couple of big hits, but LSG failed to go past 200.