Lucknow, April 1 (NationPress) Arshdeep Singh recorded impressive figures of 3-43, but Nicholas Pooran’s 44 and Ayush Badoni’s 41 propelled the Lucknow Super Giants to a total of 171/7 after their 20 overs against the Punjab Kings in Match 13 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, held at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Following the toss, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) made early breakthroughs, maintaining pressure on the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). PBKS bowler Arshdeep Singh made an immediate impact, taking out in-form Mitchell Marsh on his very first delivery, who fell for a first-ball duck after starting the IPL 2025 campaign with fifties in his first two matches.

The left-arm seamer’s aggressive bowling extracted bounce and movement, forcing Marsh into a mistimed leading edge that was safely caught by Marco Jansen at short third man. Arshdeep almost claimed another wicket in his second over but was unable to hold onto a tough return catch off Aiden Markram, who was on eight at the time.

With the explosive Nicholas Pooran stepping in at No.3, PBKS opted for Lockie Ferguson to bowl with the new ball—a rare decision since the Kiwi pacer predominantly bowls with an older ball. Although Markram managed to hit Ferguson for a couple of boundaries, the fast bowler ultimately had the last word by clean-bowling Markram for 28.

PBKS then introduced Glenn Maxwell to contend with LSG's left-handers; the decision paid off immediately as Maxwell dismissed Rishabh Pant for just 2, continuing his dominance over the batter throughout the tournament. Pant's scores have been dismal, recording 0, 15, and 2 in his appearances so far.

Despite the setbacks, Pooran remained undeterred, attacking Maxwell with consecutive boundaries and aggressively challenging Yuzvendra Chahal. Pooran adeptly picked Chahal's wrong 'uns early, frequently reaching the boundary despite the spinner's attempts to avoid his hitting arc.

Chahal, known for his strategic comebacks, ultimately had the last laugh. After being hit for 4, 4, and 6 in one over, he courageously bowled another wrong 'un wide outside off, leading Pooran to miscue and be caught at long-off. Pooran departed after a valuable contribution of 44 runs off 30 balls, significantly aiding LSG's innings. Chahal concluded with bowling figures of 4-0-36-1.

LSG's challenges continued as Marco Jansen took down David Miller for 19 off 18 balls, with the extra bounce causing a faint edge to the keeper. Just when PBKS looked to be in control, Abhishek Badoni and Abdul Samad counterattacked Arshdeep Singh, scoring 20 runs in the 18th over, keeping the Lucknow Super Giants competitive.

Late fireworks from Samad (who scored 27 off 12) and Ayush Badoni (who scored 41) propelled the Lucknow Super Giants to a total of 171 for 7 on a challenging two-paced red-soil pitch.

For PBKS, Arshdeep Singh concluded with two wickets in the last over of the innings, finishing with figures of 3-43.

Brief scores:

Lucknow Super Giants: 171/7 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 44, Ayush Badoni 41; Arshdeep Singh 3-43, Marco Jansen 1-28) against Punjab Kings.