Punjab Kings snapped their six-match losing streak in emphatic fashion as they defeated Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets in Match 68 of IPL 2026 on Saturday to remain alive in the playoff race. Chasing a daunting 197-run target under pressure, PBKS recovered from an early collapse before cruising home in just 18 overs.
The victory keeps Punjab mathematically in contention for a playoff berth, although their qualification hopes remain dependent on other results on the final set of league games on Sunday.
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer produced his career-best IPL knock, remaining unbeaten on 101 off just 51 deliveries to guide his side through a must-win encounter. It was Iyer's maiden IPL century, achieved in dramatic fashion as he launched Mohsin Khan for a six while on 94 to simultaneously seal both the victory and the hundred.
Here's a look at that match-winning moment:
Punjab's chase had begun disastrously after Mohammed Shami struck twice early to remove Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly, reducing PBKS to 22/2 inside three overs. However, Iyer counter-attacked immediately and found strong support from Prabhsimran Singh, who made 69 off 39 balls.
The pair stitched together a decisive 140-run partnership that completely swung the contest in Punjab's favour. Lucknow also paid heavily for a missed opportunity after Rishabh Pant dropped Prabhsimran when he was on 20.
Arjun Tendulkar eventually broke the stand by trapping Prabhsimran lbw, claiming his maiden wicket for LSG.
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Earlier, Lucknow Super Giants posted 196/6 after recovering from a shaky start. PBKS pacers Marco Jansen and Azmatullah Omarzai struck early to leave LSG at 20/2 inside three overs after dismissing Arshin Kulkarni (0) and Nicholas Pooran (2) cheaply.
Josh Inglis then rebuilt the innings with a fluent 72 off 44 balls, while Ayush Badoni injected momentum with a quickfire 43 off 18 deliveries. Rishabh Pant added 26 before Abdul Samad's unbeaten 37 off 20 balls ensured LSG finished with a competitive total.
How The IPL 2026 Playoff Race Stands
Punjab's win keeps them alive in the race for the final playoff spot, putting them provisionally in fourth spot. PBKS now need favourable outcomes in other matches to progress.
PBKS will secure a playoff spot if Rajasthan Royals lose to Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders lose to Delhi Capitals in the final set of league games on Sunday.
Even if KKR beat Delhi and finish level with Punjab on 15 points, PBKS currently hold a major Net Run Rate advantage (+0.309 compared to KKR's +0.011). That means Kolkata would likely need an extraordinarily large victory margin in their final match to overtake Punjab in the standings.
Here's how the IPL 2026 points table stands after LSG vs PBKS:
| Pos | Teams | Played | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
| 1 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) (Q) | 14 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 0.783 |
| 2 | Gujarat Titans (GT) (Q) | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 0.695 |
| 3 | Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) (Q) | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0.524 |
| 4 | Punjab Kings (PBKS) | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 0.309 |
| 5 | Rajasthan Royals (RR) | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 0.083 |
| 6 | Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 0.011 |
| 7 | Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 12 | -0.345 |
| 8 | Delhi Capitals (DC) | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 12 | -0.871 |
| 9 | Mumbai Indians (MI) | 13 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 8 | -0.51 |
| 10 | Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 8 | -0.74 |
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