Once the Lucknow SuperGiants scored 257, the outcome of the game appeared almost ordained. However, LSG could not take the contest lightly because the pitch was a batting paradise, and PBKS is a naturally aggressive batting unit. All that was expected of PBKS batters was a good start.
PBKS got off to a horror start, with Shikhar Dhawan returning to the field after 15 days, only to fall to Marcus Stoinis in the first over of the innings.
Prabhsimran Singh (9 off 13) failed to provide any momentum, and Punjab never looked interested in going after the target. Luckily, he was sent back by Naveen-ul-Haq in the fourth over.
PBKS batters struggled to find rhythm, putting the team under immense pressure right from the start. The hosts reached 55 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay, but they were way behind the asking rate, which continued to shoot up.
Throughout the innings, Punjab's batting performance was dull and the batters faied to mount any serious challenge to the massive target.
Atharva Taide, a Vidarbha batter in his maiden IPL season, batted fearlessly, hitting 66 off just 36 balls. PBKS's middle order -- Sikandar Raza, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma and Sam Curran -- failed to invest any significant contribution to the chase.
Yash Thakur was the pick of the bowlers for LSG, picking up four wickets, bowling with great control and discipline. Naveen too impressed with his three-wicket haul and his ability to stem the flow of runs in the middle overs.
PBKS scored a respectable 201 in the end, but it was a disappointing batting performance. The batters never really looked like they were going hard enough for the target and seemed more focused on mitigating the damage to their net run rate.
