Punjab Kings (PBKS) have not been up to the mark in the IPL by any stretch of the imagination. They have had some of the best players in the world, including the likes of David Miller, Shaun Marsh, Brett Lee, and Glenn Maxwell. After 16 unsuccessful seasons, they will be looking to make amends and get their hands on the trophy for the first time.
The Lucknow Super Giants, on the other hand, advanced to the playoffs both times after coming into existence back in 2022 along with Gujarat Titans. They lost to the Mumbai Indians (MI) by 81 runs in the Eliminator and crashed out of the tournament.
On the head-to-head count, the Super Giants have won two out of three matches. In their previous meeting, LSG beat the Kings by 56 runs at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.
Marcus Stoinis won the Player of the Match award after he scored 72 runs off 40 balls with six fours and five sixes. Stoinis also picked up the crucial wicket of Shikhar Dhawan and finished with figures of 1.5-0-21-1. After being asked to chase down 258, PBKS scored 201 in 19.5 overs.
Destination: Mohali. 2 points. ✈️🤞 pic.twitter.com/ytLMS8pOvV
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) April 26, 2023
PBKS vs LSG head to head
Both teams last clashed in IPL 2023 Match No. 21 at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, when the Kings beat the Super Giants by two wickets. These teams have played each other only once in their IPL history, and the equation is equal.
| Matches played | 3 |
| PBKS won | 1 |
| LSG won | 2 |
| Tie | 0 |
PBKS vs LSG match results
Punjab and Lucknow have played three head-to-head matches since LSG debuted in the IPL last year. In 2022, these two sides faced off once, with LSG winning by 20 runs thanks to a powerful bowling squad that limited PBKS to 133.
| DATE | WINNER | MARGIN | VENUE |
| April 15 2023 | Punjab Kings | 2 wickets | Lucknow |
| April 29 2022 | Lucknow Super Giants | 20 runs | Pune |
PBKS vs LSG IPL stats
Most runs
Sikandar Raza of the PBKS tops the batting leaderboard with 93 runs in these games, followed by KL Rahul (92) and Australian Marcus Stoinis (88), Kyle Mayers and Atharva Taide are on the list as well.
| Player name | Runs |
| Sikandar Raza | 93 |
| KL Rahul | 92 |
| Marcus Stoinis | 88 |
| Kyle Mayers | 83 |
| Atharva Taide | 66 |
Most wickets
Kagiso Rabada has taken the most wickets (6), followed by Sam Curran, Mohsin Khan, Krunal Pandya, and Ravi Bishnoi, who have each taken 3. Four players have taken 3 wickets each in the PBKS vs LSG head to head matches.
| Player name | Wickets |
| Kagiso Rabada | 8 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | 5 |
| Yash Thakur | 4 |
| Sam Curran | 4 |
| Mohsin Khan | 3 |
Best match in the Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants head to head
Punjab Kings won the toss and chose to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium in Pune.
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada threw a decent length delivery to LSG captain KL Rahul to get the outside edge, and Jitesh Sharma dove to his right to dismiss Rahul early in the innings. LSG's scoring methods were unaffected by Rahul's departure, as Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda collaborated with some stunning strokes to consolidate their innings. De Kock hammered his compatriot Rabada for three straight sixes in the powerplay.
Wickets crumbled when de Kock and Hooda's 85-run partnership was broken up. LSG was bowled out for 13 runs after losing five wickets in three overs. Mohsin Khan (13 runs in six balls) and Dushmantha Chameera (17 runs in ten balls) helped LSG break the 150-run mark, closing at 153/8.
Punjab made a strong start to their modest chase, reaching 46 for 1 after powerplay overs. Ravi Bishnoi was pricey at one end, surrendering 41 runs from four overs and dismissing Shikhar Dhawan at the top.
Krunal Pandya bowled a short spell of 2/11 from his four overs to hold the middle order tight. The left-arm orthodox handed up only four runs in his final 18 deliveries, including a maiden wicket over. He subsequently took a low catch at third man to remove Jonny Bairstow's (32 in 28 balls) threat.
Mohsin took two wickets in the late middle order to end with 3 for 24 as the Super Giants held the Kings to 133/8. The 20-run victory boosted KL Rahul and his team's playoff chances.
It will be an interesting watch to figure out who will get the lead in the Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants head to head.
