Lucknow, May 23 (IANS) Captain Shreyas Iyer struck his maiden IPL century to guide Punjab Kings to a seven‑wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants and break their six-game losing streak to keep their playoff hopes alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday.

In response to LSG’s 196/6, Punjab hunted down the target in 18 overs, with Iyer unbeaten on 101 off 51 balls, studded with 11 fours and five sixes coming at a strike-rate of 198.04. Apart from wowing the crowd with his sublime timing, strong pick-up of deliveries and bottom-handed shots, Iyer also shared a crucial 140-run stand with Prabhsimran Singh, who hit 69 off 39 balls.

The win has lifted PBKS to fourth on the points table, and their fate now hinges on the Rajasthan Royals’ clash with the Mumbai Indians. If RR win, Punjab are out; if MI prevail, Kolkata Knight Riders could still overtake PBKS on net run rate with a big win over the now eliminated Delhi Capitals. If all works well in their favour, PBKS will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator clash in New Chandigarh on Wednesday.

The chase began dramatically as Priyansh Arya fell first ball to Mohammed Shami, caught on the pull for a golden duck. Cooper Connolly counter‑attacked with four boundaries in the second over, before being castled by Mohammed Shami and leaving PBKS at 22/2 in 2.2 overs.

Iyer joined Prabhsimran and the pair steadied the innings. Iyer struck successive fours off Mohsin Khan and Shami, while Prabhsimran found his rhythm with inventive strokes and used the bowlers’ pace to his advantage. The partnership blossomed after Power-play as Prabhsimran dropped on 20 by Pant off Arjun Tendulkar, and got his fifty in 28 balls.

Iyer, meanwhile, cut and drove with authority to get his fifty in 33 balls. The boundaries flowed freely before Arjun trapped Prabhsimran lbw for 69. But Iyer pressed on, smashing three sixes in one Shami over to all but seal the contest. Fittingly, Iyer launched a slower ball from Mohsin over cow corner to complete his maiden IPL hundred and clinch an important victory for PBKS.

For Iyer, the century was a moment of relief and joy – helmet off, arms aloft, as he was embraced by teammates over ending a six-game losing streak and PBKS playoffs hopes still very much alive. Even as PBKS rejoiced in the glow of a much-needed victory in a must-win clash, LSG’s tenth defeat of the season also confirmed that they will finish at the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table.

Previously, riding on Josh Inglis’s fluent 72 off 44 balls and Abdul Samad’s unbeaten 37 off 20 deliveries, LSG posted 196/6, though it looked like they finished well short of a par score. Inglis didn’t see much of the strike in the first few overs, as he lost partners from the other end.

But he slowly came into his own to add 49 runs for the third wicket and shared a 65-run partnership with Rishabh Pant. Inglis came into his own during the middle overs to hit nine fours and two sixes in all in his knock, coming at a strike-rate of 163.64.

At 147/4 in 15 overs, LSG were primed for a big finish, but losing Inglis was huge for them, though Samad did show some fight with a late cameo. For PBKS, Yuzvendra Chahal and Marco Jansen were the standout bowlers with two scalps each.

The innings began briskly for LSG, though they suffered early setbacks. Arshin Kulkarni and Nicholas Pooran fell cheaply, leaving the hosts two down inside the Power-play. Inglis did not see much of the strike initially, but once it had settled, he counter‑attacked with authority.

Badoni joined Inglis and the pair steadied the innings before the former was stumped off Chahal for 43. Inglis then found another partner in Pant, and together they pushed the score past 100. With Inglis striking cleanly through the middle overs, LSG looked assured for a big total, though they lost Pant for 26.

But Inglis’ dismissal checked their momentum, leaving Samad to shoulder the responsibility in the death overs after Mukul Choudhary fell cheaply. Samad rose to the occasion with crisp strokes through point and mid‑wicket to take LSG past the 190-mark, which was inadequate to stop Iyer and PBKS from getting a clinical win.

Brief scores:

Lucknow Super Giants 196/6 in 20 overs (Josh Inglis 72, Ayush Badoni 43; Yuzvendra Chahal 2-25, Marco Jansen 2-33) lost to Punjab Kings 200/3 in 18 overs (Shreyas Iyer 101 not out, Prabhsimran Singh 69; Mohammed Shami 2-45, Arjun Tendulkar 1-36) by seven wickets

–IANS

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