IPL 2026: Shreyas Iyer's maiden century keeps Punjab Kings' playoffs dream alive

Punjab Kings (PBKS) remained alive in the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) playoffs race with a commanding 7-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 68 on Saturday, May 23, at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.

After being put in to bat first, LSG posted a good score of 196/6 in their allotted 20 overs, riding on a splendid innings from Josh Inglis (72 off 44), along with valuable contributions from Ayush Badoni (43 off 18) and Abdul Samad (37* off 20). For Punjab, Yuzvendra Chahal and Marco Jansen (2/33) scalped two wickets each.

In reply, PBKS comfortably chased down the target in 18 overs with captain Shreyas Iyer leading the way with his maiden IPL century, along with good support from Prabhsimran Singh (69 off 39). As a result, Punjab finally managed to end their six-match losing streak, and their victory also knocked out Delhi Capitals (DC) from the playoffs race.

Following their win, Punjab rose to fourth spot on the IPL 2026 points table with 15 points from 14 matches. On the other hand, Lucknow continued to reel at the bottom with eight points from 14 matches. Punjab's fate is now in the hands of Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who both need to lose their respective last matches for PBKS' smooth qualification into the playoffs.

Top run-scorer of the Match

Top wicket-taker of the Match

Player of the Match

Shreyas Iyer was adjudged Player of the Match for his breathtaking century. He scored an unbeaten 101* (51) with the help of 11 fours and five sixes and got involved in a game-changing partnership with Prabhsimran Singh of 140 runs (76 balls) for the third wicket.

Turning Point

Punjab were rocked early in their run chase as Mohammed Shami (2/45) removed Priyansh Arya (0 off 1) and Cooper Connolly (18 off 10) early to leave PBKS on 22/2 in 2.2 overs. After the early blows, Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer got together at the crease and brought their team in a commanding position with a century partnership.

However, LSG had a chance to break it early, but captain Rishabh Pant failed to take a tough diving catch behind the stumps in the 7^th over, giving Prabhsimran a reprieve on 21. He was given another life on 62 as Prince Yadav failed to complete a catch cleanly at short cover. Had LSG taken those chances, it could’ve had a big impact on the game.

What did the captains say:

Winning Captain, Shreyas Iyer (Punjab Kings):

I'm ecstatic to be honest. It's my first hundred and came at the right time when the team needed it. Elated by their performance (the bowlers). It's a surreal feeling when you finish off the game and score a century. Today was one of the days was when I felt super. We didn't say anything, just kept it simple. Today I literally told Ricky that let's not do any team meetings.

Losing Captain, Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants):

 Initial thoughts are - it's a tough one. Still have to bite the bullet regardless of everything. Always you can get 5-10 more but I think there was enough on the total. But at the same time you know batting gets easier in the second innings at Ekana. Want to look at the positives as a team. Sometimes idea without accountability is the harder thing to do.