Thanks to the explosive batting of young batsman Priyansh Arya (93) and a magnificent innings by Australian batsman Cooper Connolly (87), Punjab Kings posted a mammoth total of 254 runs for the loss of six wickets against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 29th match of IPL 2026 on Sunday.
This marks the highest single-innings score of the 19th season of the IPL. Previously, Royal Challengers Bangalore had scored 250 runs against Chennai Super Kings. Furthermore, this stands as Punjab’s second-highest score in IPL history; their highest remains the 262 runs they scored against Kolkata in 2024.
Chasing a target of 255 runs at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, the Lucknow team could only manage to score 200 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Punjab clinched the victory by a margin of 54 runs. This marks Punjab’s fifth win of the current season.
Having played 6 matches, Punjab has surged to the top of the points table with 11 points. The team, captained by Shreyas Iyer, remains unbeaten so far this season. The match between Punjab and Kolkata was washed out. With this result, Punjab Kings has become the first team in the history of the IPL to remain undefeated in its first six matches of any given season. Conversely, this marks Lucknow’s third consecutive defeat.
Lucknow Makes a Major Change
Faced with a mountainous target of 255 runs, the Lucknow team management decided to alter their opening pair. Instead of Aiden Markram, Ayush Badoni walked out to open the innings alongside Mitchell Marsh. Marsh and Badoni forged a 61-run opening partnership off just 36 deliveries. On the final ball of the Powerplay, Badoni (35) was caught out.
Subsequently, Captain Rishabh Pant joined Marsh at the crease and began accelerating the scoring rate. The duo successfully added 48 runs off 31 balls together. However, Lucknow then suffered two major setbacks in quick succession. Arshdeep Singh dismissed Pant (43) in the 13th over, while Marco Jansen sent Nicholas Pooran (9) back to the pavilion in the 16th over. Aiden Markram (42), who was closing in on a half-century, lost his wicket in the final over.
Punjab Elects to Bat
Having won the toss and elected to bat, Punjab Kings got off to a strong start, reaching 63 runs for the loss of one wicket during the powerplay. Prabhsimran Singh failed to open his account. Subsequently, during the middle overs, Arya and Connolly exerted immense pressure on the Lucknow bowlers, adding 66 runs between the 7th and 11th overs.
Priyamsh batted in an extremely aggressive manner, scoring runs at a rapid pace. He converted full-length deliveries into magnificent shots—striking them straight down the ground and over covers—while pushing the bowlers completely onto the back foot by executing powerful pull and hook shots against short-pitched deliveries.
Half-Century in 19 Balls
On the other hand, Connolly also batted in his characteristic style, smashing spectacular sixes towards long-off and mid-wicket. Priyamsh completed his half-century in just 19 balls, while Connolly reached his fifty in 35 balls before accelerating his scoring rate. However, both batsmen were dismissed just as they were nearing their respective centuries. Priyamsh was caught out at the boundary while attempting to hit his 10th six, while Connolly also returned to the pavilion shortly thereafter.
182-Run Partnership
Delhi’s 24-year-old Priyamsh played a blistering innings of 93 runs off just 37 balls. His innings featured 9 sixes and several elegant fours. On the other side, Connolly provided excellent support, scoring 87 runs off 45 balls. Together, the two batsmen forged a 182-run partnership in a mere 80 balls, comprising a total of 16 sixes and 12 fours.
150+ Partnerships for Punjab in the IPL
206 – Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh vs RCB, Dharamsala, 2011
183 – KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal vs Rajasthan, Sharjah, 2020
182 – Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly vs Lucknow, Mullanpur, 2026
Iyer Fails to Fire
Captain Shreyas Iyer failed to get going with the bat and could only manage to score 5 runs. Marcus Stoinis contributed 29 runs, Nehal Wadhera scored 13, and Shashank Singh played an innings of 17 runs. Prince Yadav and Manimaran Siddharth claimed two wickets each, while Mohammed Shami and Mohsin Khan took one wicket apiece.
Failure to Take DRS Proves Costly
For Lucknow, Prince Yadav was the most economical bowler, taking two wickets for 25 runs in his four overs. Apart from him, the other bowlers appeared ineffective against the Punjab batsmen. This match proved to be a disappointing outing for Lucknow captain Rishabh Pant. The decision not to opt for DRS in the early overs cost the team dearly, as Connolly received a lifeline and capitalized on it to the fullest.
Punjab Hits 21 Sixes
The Punjab batsmen batted fearlessly in this match. The team smashed 21 sixes in this game, setting a record for the most sixes hit in a single innings this season. For Punjab Kings, Priyansh Arya hit nine sixes, Connolly hit seven, while Stoinis and Shashank Singh struck two sixes each. The record for hitting the most sixes in a single IPL innings also belongs to Punjab; they had hit 24 sixes in an innings against KKR in 2024.
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