Delhi: In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) once again faced disappointment and the team had to suffer its fourth defeat of the season. Lucknow team captained by star wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant was defeated by Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 54 runs. Batting first, Punjab scored a huge score of 254 runs, while in reply Lucknow team could reach only 200 runs.

Explosive batting of Punjab Kings

On behalf of Punjab Kings, Priyansh Arya batted brilliantly and scored 93 runs in 37 balls. His innings included 4 fours and 9 sixes. At the same time, Cooper Connolly also played a brilliant inning of 87 runs in 46 balls, which included 8 fours and 7 sixes. Thanks to the aggressive batting of these two, Punjab succeeded in reaching its second highest score in IPL history.

Change in strategy and opening of Lucknow

Lucknow Super Giants once again changed the batting order in this match. The team sent Ayush Badoni to open, which surprised everyone. Earlier, in the opening match of the season, Rishabh Pant himself came to open, while later Aiden Markram was also tried in the opening. Despite these continuous experiments, the team is not getting success.

Rishabh Pant’s statement

After the defeat, captain Rishabh Pant said that it would not be right to hold any one reason responsible for the defeat. He told that the decision to send Ayush Badoni in the opening was part of a pre-planned strategy and it was not taken just by looking at the score. Pant said that the team wanted to reduce the pressure from the very beginning and full confidence was expressed in all the players. He also congratulated Punjab Kings for the victory.

Update on Pant’s fitness

During the match, Rishabh Pant also gave information about his injury. He told that the condition of his left hand is now improving and he is slowly recovering.

It is noteworthy that Punjab Kings completely dominated the match on the basis of their excellent batting performance. Lucknow Super Giants team was limited to 200 runs and had to face another defeat, due to which the team’s path to the playoffs is becoming more difficult.