New Chandigarh, April 19 (NationPress) Dominating half-centuries from opener Priyansh Arya (93 runs off 37 deliveries) and Australian left-hander Cooper Connolly (87 runs off 46 balls) propelled Punjab Kings (PBKS) to an impressive total of 254/7 in their IPL 2026 match against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday.

In front of a full house at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Arya and Connolly delivered an exhilarating exhibition of contemporary power hitting, forming a substantial 182-run partnership for the second wicket, which disrupted LSG’s bowling strategy and set the season's highest score.

With the intent to send every delivery over the boundary, Priyansh struck four boundaries and an astonishing nine sixes, while Connolly kept pace, hitting eight fours and seven sixes. Despite losing wickets towards the end of the innings, the Arya-Connolly partnership ensured PBKS surpassed the 250-run mark. For LSG, Prince Yadav emerged as the standout bowler with figures of 2-25, while the remaining bowlers conceded a staggering 226 runs in just 16 overs.

Choosing to bowl first, veteran Mohammed Shami made a strong start by dismissing Prabhsimran Singh for a duck with a wobble seam delivery. However, Arya quickly made his intentions clear by launching a massive six over mid-wicket off Mohsin Khan.

Though Connolly started slowly, scoring just 19 off 22 balls, Arya maintained the high tempo with relentless boundary hitting, reaching his fifty in just 19 deliveries. Connolly eventually found his rhythm, bringing up his fifty in 35 balls. The duo's most ferocious assault was against Aiden Markram, who conceded 32 runs in the 13th over, including five sixes.

The breakthrough finally arrived when Prince induced a top edge from Connolly, ending his innings at 87. Arya seemed destined for a century but fell short by seven runs, caught at long-off by Mitchell Marsh off Manimaran Siddharth.

A brief middle-order collapse saw Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera dismissed in quick succession as LSG attempted to stage a comeback. However, the momentum remained with the hosts as Marcus Stoinis (29 off 16 balls) and Shashank Singh (17 off 6 balls) delivered a late flurry of runs.

Shashank blasted 20 runs off Shami’s final over, pushing the total past the 250-run threshold. Stoinis was ultimately run out on the last ball, by which time PBKS had set a daunting target for LSG at 12.75 runs per over.

Brief Scores: Punjab Kings 254/7 in 20 overs (Priyansh Arya 93, Cooper Connolly 87; Prince Yadav 2-25, M Siddharth 2-35) against Lucknow Super Giants.