Priyansh Arya blasted 93 while Cooper Connolly hammered 87 as Punjab Kings dominated Lucknow Super Giants with a commanding 54-run victory in Sunday’s IPL 2026 encounter at Mullanpur. The dynamic duo forged a spectacular 182-run partnership for the second wicket in merely 13.2 overs, propelling PBKS to 254/7 – the season’s top score, eclipsing RCB’s previous best of 250/3. Despite LSG quickly removing both batsmen and Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer, the foundation was already set for Marcus Stoinis (29) to capitalize. Chasing the target, LSG fell short at 200/5 in their 20 overs, with captain Rishabh Pant (43), opener Mitchell Marsh (40), and Aiden Markram (42) offering brief resistance. Punjab Kings maintain perfect record as Priyansh and Connolly deliver with the bat .
TOSS-
Lucknow Super Giants won the toss and elected to bowl first.
PLAYING XI –
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI):
Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth, Mohsin Khan
Punjab Kings (Playing XI):
Prabhsimran Singh(w), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
PUNJAB KINGS-
After losing in-form Prabhsimran Singh early in the opening over, Punjab bounced back with a devastating 182-run second-wicket partnership. Arya and Connolly tormented every section of the field, forcing LSG bowlers into a grueling chase across the ground during their 80-ball alliance. Connolly’s 87 from 46 deliveries, surprisingly, came at a more measured rate than his teammate. He managed just 15 runs from his opening 20 balls before unleashing fury, hammering 72 from his subsequent 26 deliveries at an incredible strike rate of 277, facing only four dot balls thereafter. Arya remained the primary destroyer throughout, blazing to 93 from just 37 balls with a remarkable nine sixes alongside four boundaries.
The devastation reached its peak during a 32-run over against Aiden Markram, featuring five maximums from the pair – creating the costliest over in LSG’s history. Both players appeared destined for centuries as PBKS looked poised for a rare 300-plus score, racing to 185/1 after 14 overs.
However, once wickets began falling, they collapsed rapidly. Prince Yadav delivered LSG’s crucial breakthrough by removing Connolly, with Arya and captain Shreyas Iyer departing shortly after. Nehal Wadhera contributed a quick cameo, but 185/1 swiftly deteriorated to 208/5. Marcus Stoinis (29 from 16) and Shashank Singh (17 from 6) provided late acceleration with a rapid 44-run partnership in the death overs, pushing the total beyond 250.
LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS-
LSG experimented by promoting Ayush Badoni as opener, though he initially struggled against Arshdeep Singh before the new opening combination gained momentum through costly subsequent overs during the powerplay. Arshdeep, Xavier Bartlett, and Marco Jansen all proved expensive as LSG accelerated. Vijaykumar Vyshak finally ended the experiment, removing Badoni for 35 from 21 balls.
Captain Pant launched his innings with consecutive maximums off Jansen. The Pant-Marsh partnership maintained early momentum, compiling 48 runs for their second-wicket alliance. However, momentum shifted with Vyshak and Yuzvendra Chahal’s economical spells through the middle overs, pushing the required rate beyond 15. The pressure from just 20 runs scored between overs 9-11 led to Marsh’s dismissal by Chahal. Pant responded with consecutive sixes off the spinner, but Arshdeep ended his explosive knock. The captain contributed 43 from 23 balls, though it proved insufficient.
Despite the comprehensive defeat, LSG battled until the end to minimize damage to their net run rate. Pooran received a reprieve but failed to capitalize. Nevertheless, Aiden Markram and Mukul Choudhary – benefiting from Punjab’s wayward fielding – managed several boundaries. Bartlett bore the brunt of late punishment, with Markram launching two sixes and two fours during his final overs, resulting in an expensive 54-run spell without wickets.
Brief scores:
Punjab Kings 254/7 in 20 overs (Priyansh Arya 93 off 37, Cooper Connolly 87 off 46; Prince Yadav 2-25) defeated Lucknow Super Giants 200/5 in 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 43 off 23, Aiden Markram 42 off 22, Mitch Marsh 40 off 28; Marco Jansen 2-37) by 54 runs.
About the Author
