Prabhsimran 91, middle-order cameos push PBKS to 236 vs LSG in Dharamsala

A power-packed batting performance from Punjab Kings (PBKS), led by Prabhsimran Singh's 91 off 48 balls, took them to a total of 236 for 5 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Shreyas Iyer actually wanted to bowl at the toss. But he said he was "up for the competition", and it seemed so was his team. They hit 34 boundaries in the innings - 16 fours and 18 sixes - en route to their 11th total of 200-plus in the IPL. Only Mumbai Indians have more.

Prabhsimran was the architect of this chaos. He attacked nine of his first 15 deliveries, and in that time, he could've been dismissed for 22 off 11 balls. But Nicholas Pooran put down a skier. When a similar ball came down just seconds later, Prabhsimran played the same shot and found the straight boundary. He's an intent machine with a very short memory. He made his third fifty on the trot having come into this IPL with only four fifty-plus scores in his entire career.

There was a small period when Prabhsimran stalled. He got to 45 off 24 deliveries. Then made only 8 from 11, but made up for that by hitting 38 off his last 13 deliveries.

The batters at the other end matched Prabhsimran's fire. In fact, every time LSG took a wicket, the new man in hit a boundary within two deliveries, leaving the visitors with no place to hide. Shreyas once again showed he's a changed man. Until IPL 2024, he was striking at 125. Since then, he has been striking at 163. That has not come at the cost of his productivity. He averaged 32 before. Now it's 44.

Mayank Yadav went for 60 runs in his four overs, the joint-worst figures by an LSG bowler in the IPL. Avesh Khan leaked 26 runs in the 19th over, which included three fours and two sixes. Digvesh Rathi went for 40-plus in only one of his first nine matches. In his last two, he has gone for 48 and 46. At a time when they need to be peaking, LSG are floundering. Their best hope now is that their top order fires.