New Delhi. Punjab Kings have created history in IPL. This team, captained by Shreyas Iyer, has become the first franchise to remain unbeaten in the first 6 matches of IPL. In its sixth match of the season against Lucknow Super Giants, Punjab registered a big win by 54 runs. In this match played at their home ground Mullanpur, Punjab Kings made the highest score of the season (254/7) with the stormy half-centuries of Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly. While chasing the target, Pant’s team could reach only 200 runs after playing the entire over. This is Punjab’s fifth win, while Lucknow has faced its fourth defeat. With this win, the top Punjab Kings have become the first team of the season to cross the 10-point mark. Punjab has 11 points in 6 matches. One of his matches was canceled due to rain.
Priyansh-Connolly made a one-sided match
With opener Priyansh Arya’s half-century of 93 runs in 37 balls and 182-run partnership with Cooper Connolly (87 runs) for the second wicket, Punjab Kings took the team above 250 and made the match one-sided. Chasing a target like a mountain, Lucknow’s batsmen tried their best, but were not successful. Delhi’s 24-year-old young batsman Priyansh hit nine sixes and four fours during his innings, while Australia’s Connolly’s 46-ball innings included eight fours and seven sixes. Marcus Stoinis contributed 29 runs before being run out on the last ball of the innings.
Punjab Kings hit the winning sixer.
63 runs scored in powerplay
The score of 63 runs for one wicket in the powerplay was good, but the middle phase between 7th to 11th over was even better in which 66 runs were scored. Priyansh, a left-handed batsman with a strong physique, just stood at one place with very little footwork and kept hitting shots with full force and full speed of the bat, due to which the balls kept crossing the boundary rapidly. He hit full length balls straight or over extra cover. He played short and wide balls with cut or ramp shots, while bouncer balls that came at shoulder height, he sent them across the boundary with pull or hook shots without any expression on his face. Connolly’s style was completely different. His franchise coach Ricky Ponting must have been proud to see his high sixes over extra cover and the pull-shots he hit on the front-foot and into the deep mid-wicket stand.
Both batsmen missed a century
The batting styles of both were completely different from each other. Priyansh completed his half-century in just 19 balls, while it took 18 balls to score the next 43 runs. Connolly, on the other hand, took some time, he completed his 50 runs in 35 balls, but scored the next 37 runs in just 12 balls. This young player from Delhi was not at all perturbed even when his opening partner Prabhsimran Singh got out on his very first ball after taking an edge on an outswinger ball from Mohammed Shami.
Both Connolly and Priyansh were out in a very short span of time. However, at that time it seemed easy for both of them to score a century. This young Indian player was trying to hit his 10th six, but was caught by Mitchell Marsh on the boundary line. LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka was seen breathing a sigh of relief. On the other hand, it seemed impossible to repair the damage that the pair of Priyansh and Connolly had already done.
Pant made a big mistake
LSG captain Rishabh Pant will definitely regret why he did not use DRS when Connolly was out LBW by left-arm fast bowler Mohsin Khan early in the innings. It became clear from the replays that if DRS had been taken, the TV umpire would have declared Connolly out. After this, Mohsin’s confidence wavered and he gave away 20 runs in his third over, due to which the entire momentum of the match went out of the hands of LSG. The only saving grace for them was Prince Yadav (two wickets for 25 runs in four overs).
Lucknow’s batting was like this
Chasing the huge target, Lucknow Super Giants had a great start. Ayush Badoni and Mitchell Marsh together added 61 runs in 5.6 overs for the first wicket. Marsh was out after scoring 40 runs in 28 balls with the help of 3 fours and 2 sixes. At the same time, Badoni scored 35 runs in 21 balls. He hit 5 fours and one six in this innings. Captain Rishabh Pant appeared in good form and played a strong inning of 43 runs facing just 23 balls. Pant hit one four and 4 sixes in this innings.
Puran’s bat did not work
Nicholas Pooran’s poor form continued in this match also and he was out after scoring 9 runs. Aiden Markram and Mukesh Chaudhary made a half-century partnership for the fifth wicket. Together, both of them made a partnership of 60 runs in 33 balls, but they could not lead the team to victory. Markram scored 42 runs in 22 balls, while Mukul remained unbeaten after scoring 21 runs in 17 balls. In bowling, Marco Jansen took 2 wickets for 37 runs, while Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vaishak and Chahal took one wicket each.
