Punjab Kings (PBKS) have done what they could on Saturday, and now they will have to depend on the results going in their favor in the two matches to be played on Sunday.
Shreyas Iyer & Co. need to win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday to gain 15 points and stay in the race for the playoffs.
They came into the match on the back of a six-match losing streak. However, Shreyas Iyer won the crucial toss and opted to field first. Arshin Kulkarni and Nicholas Pooran were out cheaply but Josh English and Ayush Badoni brought LSG back into the game with a partnership of 49 runs off 23 balls. English finished as the top scorer with 72 runs from 44 balls, while Abdul Samad's late cameo (37* off 20) helped the hosts finish at 196/6.
Mohammed Shami took two wickets in his first two overs but Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh steadied the ship by mixing aggression with caution. Once he settled on the crease, he gave a tough challenge to the LSG bowlers and scored 140 runs off just 76 balls during a breathtaking partnership.
While Prabhsimran was out after scoring 69 runs off 39 balls, Shreyas batted till the end and scored 101* off 51 balls to help his team win with seven wickets and two overs to spare.
Qualification scenarios explained
If Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians in the afternoon match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, May 24, they will have 16 points and reach the playoffs. However, if they lose, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Delhi Capitals (DC) clash later in the night will become very important.
KKR currently has 13 points. If they beat DC by 77 runs at Eden Gardens, if they bat first and score 200 or chase 180 in around 12-12.4 overs, they will equal PBKS on 15 points and take their net run rate better than the Shreyas Iyer-led side. This will help the three-time champion to reach the playoffs.
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