Live blog - Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings - LSG smash PBKS in a big turnaround

It's all over folks. LSG have played the near-perfect T20 match tonight after taking on the conditions by choosing to bowl first. We leave you with a teaser from our report. Thanks for joining us.

Justin Langer has arrived in the IPL. It took just one game of tired-old T20 cricket, and the consequent heavy defeat of course, for Lucknow Super Giants to burn that book of conservative T20 cricket and play with much higher intent. As a result they didn’t have the ideal players operating in the death overs of each innings, but they had done enough damage in the middle overs on both occasions to win by 21 runs. The 103 that LSG scored in the middle overs is the second-highest in their history; both the efforts featured Pooran and Marcus Stoinis batting a higher number of balls unlike in the first match when they were held back for the death overs. With the ball, LSG unleashed Mayank Yadav’s extreme pace – highest being 156.8kmph – and awkward bounce to take five wickets for 84. As it turned out, they lost out on some runs in the final few overs and had to bowl Krunal Pandya in the 19th, but the game was over by then."

There has been some good bowling with wickets falling consistently, but this is a stat worth discussing. Shikhar Dhawan got to his 50 off 30 balls, but since then scored 20 offm 20, getting out to a slower bouncer from Mohsin Khan. PBKS left needing 57 off 16 with one hobbling batter at the wicket.

And then in comes Sam Curran under obligation to hit from ball one and holes out. This game is wrapped up for LSG to claim. They have played superb T20 cricket tonight.

Mayank Yadav has beaten another batter for pace, taking out Jitesh Sharma. Well the good thing for LBKS is that Liam Livingstone has come out to bat after he walked off with either a hamstring or quads issue during thei fielding innings.

Shikhar Dhawamn, meanwhile, has scored 20 off the last 19 balls he has faced. Mayank done with 4-0-27-3. PBKS need 60 in four overs.

A peach of a bouncer in his third over has given Mayank Yadav his second wicket. Prabhsimran Singh is late on the pull, gets hit high on the bat and is caught at mid-on. Between Mayank's two wickets, though, Prabhsimran has scored 19 off 7, keeping PBKS'sm asking rate not too far north of 10 an over

Debutant Mayank Yadav, who unfortunately spent the Ranji season out with injury, has made a rapid debut for LSG. It is there for the naked eye to see: he is quick. The speed gun has confirmed one of the balls he has bowled in his first two is 156kmph. Between his two overs, Ravi Bishnoi piled on the pressure with a three-run over.

Jonny Baistow feels obligated to take Mayank on, and edges the slog to deep midwicket. Gone for 42 off 29. PBKS 107 for 1 in 12 overs. Our Forecaster gives PBKS 29% chance to win.

With a slogged six off Ravi Bishnoi, Shikhar Dhawan not only ends an 11-ball boundary drought but also brings up his fifty off just the 30th ball he has faced. PBKS are well on their way to win this one.

Shikhar Dhawan has looked in silken touch, Jonny Bairstow has made god use of the 11 balls he has got to face in the powerplay, and PBKS have reached 61 for 0 before the fielders go out. Our forecaster has LSG at 54 % favourites to win at this point of time.

LSg start off with the left-arm spin of M Siddharth despite a left-hand batter there, and get a good cheap first over in for just five runs. However, they go to the well again, and Shikhar Dhawan takes him apart, making used of the field restrictions and even reverse-sweeping a six. PBKS 32 for 0 in three overs.

Krunal Pandya's hand at the end - 43 off 22 - has made sure LSG don't need a batting sub tonight. It has come at as slight cost of no firepower in the last over, which means Krunal has to farm the strike in the last over.

Having said that, LSG have still got to a good score - 199 - despite losing wickets through the innings. That is something to look at for the advocates of anchors. This is what happens in most cases when things don;t go right when not anchoring at all. If they do go right, the upside is huge.

The way LSG have batted, they were presented with interesting choices because wickets kept fell. The choice for Impact Player was between Ash Turner and Naveen-ul-Haq. They even sent Krunal Pandya in. And then with eight balls left, Ayush Badoni got out. No Turner. Ravi Bishnoi got out immediately. No Turner. So they have decided eight balls is not long enough for a specialist batter to make "impact".

The fall of Nicholas Pooran wicket has brought in Krunal Pandya, which means they have held out for a little more before they decide on the Impact Player. If they need more batting, Ash Turner will come in. If they don't, they can get in Naveen-ul-Haq. Very RR-like strategy. Theyv are now 166 for 5 in 17.2 overs.

a huge wicket as Nicholas Pooran is going at two a ball and is just about to get into the death overs. And he is the one who has forced PBKS to use Kagiso Rabada. And he gets a wide length and drags it on trying to hit a boundary. It gives PBKS some despite. LSG 146 for 5 5 in 15.2

Quinton de Kock is the closest thing to what could classify as anchoring. And yet he has reached 51 off 34 balls. That's a strike-rate of 150. Five fours and two sixes in his innings. Twelve boundary attempts in 34 balls. And it is only going to get better from here on.

PS: He gets out immediately, trying to hit Arshdeep Singh for a six and getting a top edge. It is a legcutter bouncer. LSG 125 for 4 in 13.1 overs.

It is not easy replacing a superstar Indian captain in the middle of the season and then also captain him as that Indian superstar is now going to be subbed out after he bats.

And it is so good to see LSG play T20 cricket. No anchoring at all. No Hooda or Badoni before Pooran and Stoinis. And they are all hitting. The presence of Pooran means LSG have taken off their spinners, Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar.

When Chahar finally comes back, Pooran shows just why he was taken off. A six and two fours. One of them a slog against the off a wrong'un into the big boundary. LSG 115 for 3 in 12 overs.

It doesn't quite look like an easy pitch to hit spinners on. Quinton de Kock go through the first two overs after the powerplay getting nothing to hit. Then Stoinis biffs Rahul Chahar down the ground for a six followed by a pulled six. Immediately, trying a third six, he is bowled.

At 78 for 3 in the ninth over, in walks the captain Nicolas Pooran.

They have lost two wickets in the powerplay, but LSG haven't held back. They have made 18 boundary attempts in the powerplay. They end the first phase of the innings at 54 for 2.

In the fourth over of the innings, Liam Livingstone pulled up sore in the field, and clutched his hamstring/quad area immediately. The fact that he went off immediately is not a good sign for Punjab Kings. Hopefully we get to see him back tonight.

LSG have not taken long to go all funky. Regular captain, someone who insisted on keeping wicket despite recent history with muscle injury, is playing as Impact Player and under the captaincy of Nicolas Pooran. On top of that, LSG are batting first despite the dew last night.

And after two overs of sussing out the conditions, both the openers, Rahul and Pooran, are manufacturing shots everywhere. A flick-pull off the hip from Rahul is dropped. Quinton de Kock carves two boundaries from the off stump line. Rahul then takes apart Arshdeep Singh in the fourth over before late-cutting Arshdeep to point. He is gone for 15 off 9, but this is one of his better innings. Better than what he playing in the last match.

All of a sudden, LSG are playing T20 cricket. JL seems to have transformed the intent of KL's team. LSG 35 for 1 in 3.5 overs.

Punjab have worked out their best bowlers to deal with this LSG pair. This is their head to head in all IPLs, prior to today.

de Kock vs Curran: 11 off 14, one dismissal
de Kock vs Arshdeep: 15 off 15
Rahul vs Curran: 29 off 24
Rahul vs Arshdeep: 17 off 18, one dismissal

From Nagraj Gollapudi, who was at the ground watching LSG a few days ago: On Wednesday, at a trial match, in the B ground adjacent to the Ekana stadium in Lucknow, KL Rahul was busy discussing strategies with Super Giants head coach Justin Langer and Pooran on the sidelines. Pooran had spent more than half an hour talking to assistant coach Lance Kluesener before joining Langer and Rahul where he carried forward the discussions. Rahul, wearing white socks, was keenly paying attention to the happenings in the middle and was even setting fields, fine-tuning positions and asking bowlers what to bowl. Not for a moment you’d have guessed then that he would be playing as an impact sub.

Pooran termed it as a precautionary move, but it is also a smart one. It now allows Rahul to decide where he wants to bat: open, as he did in the first match, or in the middle order, where there had been whispers he could want to audition to gain a spot in Indian squad for T20 World Cup. Update: He's opening the batting

"KL Rahul is definitely going to be here. He is an Impact Sub," says LSG stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran, "He's just coming back from injury. Tough question [about the XII]. A lot of changes"

PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan says they're happy to bowl first, mentions when they were training yesterday they saw a lot of dew and they want to take advantage of that. Same team as the last game

LSG: Quinton de Kock, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, M Siddharth
Subs: Ashton Turner, Naveen-ul-Haq, Amit Mishra, Deepak Hooda, K Gowtham

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Subs: Prabhsimran Singh, Rilee Roussouw, Tanay Thagarajan, Vidwath Kaverappa, Harpreet Bhatia

Nicholas Pooran is captaining LSG! Regular captain Rahul is at the ground, wearing his gloves and wielding a bat. Is he impact subbing?

Also, Mayank Yadav, a young fast bowler from Delhi, has been handed a cap.

And earlier today, Lucknow Super Giants bolstered their fast bowling stocks with New Zealand's Matt Henry. He came in for the injured David Willey. That's a decent chunk of experience, which they probably need.