Last-chance saloon as PBKS seek to arrest freefall

The higher you go, the deeper you fall.

A proverb that has defined the Punjab Kings' run in IPL 2026. It hasn't been the quintessential rollercoaster campaign that now stands within touching distance and a bit of help elsewhere to progress to the playoffs. Instead, it is one where everything went right for the first half before the campaign has capitulated rather alarmingly.

Yet, all those exploits in the first half which saw PBKS cast themselves as the team to beat have meant that they can still make the playoffs even as they must arrest a six-game freefall to do so. It is far from straightforward though - a win against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday alone won't suffice, for they also require a favour from Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals on Sunday.

Enough has been said about PBKS' bowling and fielding woes, with the latest of them surfacing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru where their bowlers conceded 222 on a Dharamsala surface that was slightly on the slower side. For their pedigree with the ball, Arshdeep Singh and Lockie Ferguson have failed to make a lasting impact. Yuzvendra Chahal has blown hot and cold notwithstanding the many catches that have gone down off his bowling. And the Kings ran out of patience with Marco Jansen, dropping him for the RCB fixture.

Azmatullah Omarzai has emerged as a bright spark amidst this, while Shashank Singh powered his way to form with a fifty in the last game. Concerns might be developing over Shreyas Iyer's recent form, having tallied just 118 runs including a scratchy half-century in PBKS' defeats. It's a factor that is accentuated whenever the Kings lose their pace-setting openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh early. But when this troika clicks, bowlers seldom have an answer and in a do-or-die situation, PBKS need them at their very best.

LSG have shown signs of promise with the bat despite being up and down in their most recent fixtures. Nicholas Pooran hasn't returned to his best yet but looks in better rhythm than what he started the tournament with. Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis have been in sensational touch, although the Super Giants have often lost their way in the middle overs, with the latest iteration resulting in a defeat to Rajasthan Royals.

The bowling options lack experience with Prince Yadav standing out admirably. But elsewhere, the scrutiny continues to mount on Rishabh Pant the batter and captain. LSG have now gone three seasons on the bounce and haven't been anywhere near realistic playoff contention since the start of the ongoing cycle. But a win to sign off with some more positives would certainly do them good, with added cheers also coming their way from Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.

When: LSG vs PBKS, Saturday, May 23 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

What to expect: A scorching day with temperatures surging well into the 40s. For one of the more bowler-friendly venues of the season, the last two games involving RCB and CSK have proven to favour the batters a lot more with LSG winning both those contests. Expect some assistance for the pacers early on though, with chasing teams winning 9 of the 13 matches here (excluding the Super Over game involving KKR) since IPL 2025.

Head to head: PBKS have a marginal 4-3 advantage, including a 2-1 record at Ekana. Since 2025, they've won all three matches including the reverse-fixture in Mullanpur where they piled up a total of 254.

Team Watch

Lucknow Super Giants

Injuries & Unavailability: Aiden Markram missed the last game having returned home due to personal reasons. It is unlikely that he features in LSG's final match of the season. Mohammed Shami didn't play the previous match either, although there is no injury reported to that end.

Tactics & Matchups: Shreyas Iyer has historically struggled against Mohsin Khan, scoring just 12 runs off 27 balls he has faced off the left-arm quick in T20s while being dismissed once - in the aforementioned reverse-fixture. Expect Mohsin to be used as a match-up upon Shreyas' entry to the crease while Mayank Yadav, who has been cranking up the speed guns, could be deployed early against Prabhsimran Singh, whom he has accounted for twice in the format.

Probable XII: Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi

Punjab Kings

Injuries & Unavailability: None to report from the PBKS camp.

Tactics & Matchups:Both Pooran (SR 163.63) and Pant (SR 150) have an excellent record against Yuzvendra Chahal, who has averaged an alarming 74.4 against left-handers while going at an economy rate of 11.1 in the IPL since 2025. With a left-arm spinner in the mix too in Harpreet Brar, who could take the new ball, there is a case for the Kings to field just one of them, potentially opening the door for Vijaykumar Vyshak's return.

Probable XII:Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal/Vijaykumar Vyshak

Did you know?

• Priyansh and Prabhsimran are the only pair to have opened the batting in over 25 innings for PBKS in 19 editions of the IPL. PBKS are also the only team to have used a single opening pair over the last two seasons.

• Marsh has hit 73 sixes in the IPL since 2025, the most by an overseas player in this timeframe.

• 81.4 per cent of PBKS' overs this season have come from the pacers. Their usage of spin has been the least among the ten teams.

What they said:

"I think teams in situations like this can be very dangerous to be honest. I mean Lucknow going into tomorrow, apart from probably personal pride and pride for the franchise's performance, they've really got nothing else to lose. So teams can be dangerous in that way. But we understand that, we know that. And that's the way that I want my boys to play as well. I want us to be fearless and I want us to be daring" - Ricky Ponting, PBKS Head Coach.