Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bowlers had a forgettable outing barring Prince Yadav as Punjab Kings (PBKS) posted a mammoth target of 255. In the run chase, LSG made a surprising move by sending Ayush Badoni to open instead of Aiden Markram. Also, Markram was pushed to no.5 in the lineup, below the out-of-form Nicholas Pooran. After the 54-run defeat, skipper Rishabh Pant said that it was not an instinctive move but a pre-decided one.
“I think the idea was to just go out there and play freely. It wasn't taken just today. It was pre-decided that he's going to open. It was just something we kept inside. We wanted some freedom on the top order and just (the) middle order wanted to chip in,” Pant said in the post-match presentation.
Badoni departs in powerplay overs
After cautious approach in first two overs, Badoni started hitting boundaries. LSG got past the 50-run mark in the fifth over. On the last ball of the sixth over, Badoni fell to Vijaykumar Vyshak's slower one. He scored 35 runs from 21 balls, featuring five fours and a six. He shared a 61-run opening partnership with Markram.
Markram misses fifty again
On the other hand, Markram has not been able to convert starts into big scores this season. He has missed half-century twice in the season. Against PBKS, he walked out to bat in the 13th over after skipper departed for a 23-ball 43.
As Pooran's struggles continued and he was dismissed for another single-digit score, Markram tried to get LSG close to the target. He hit Xavier Bartlett for two consecutive sixes. It was on the penultimate delivery of the innings, he was dismissed by South African teammate Marco Jansen. The Proteas skipper scored 42 runs from 22 balls, his second-highest score of the season.
Markram concedes 5 sixes
Earlier, Markram took a beating from PBKS’ left-handed batters Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly. He conceded 32 runs, featuring five sixes. It is the most expensive over in IPL 2026.
Who will LSG face next?
This was LSG's fourth loss of the season. They stayed at the eighth position with just four points. The Pant-led side will go up against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their next clash at home on April 22.