When the idea of Project Punjab was brought in by Ricky Ponting in 2025, not a lot of people felt convinced by it. Punjab Kings have been one of the most inconsistent sides in the history of the IPL and they were set for another overhaul.
Almost a year later, suddenly, Ponting seems to have made believers out of his doubters. The followers are on the rise, something Arshdeep Singh will take credit for, but it has been down to the performances on the field. Starting with the openers who oozes of modern T20 cricket exuberance, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh make a case for being the best opening pair in IPL 2026.
Then you have Cooper Connolly who has slotted in well and then Shreyas Iyer, who has morphed himself into the new chase master in the tournament. The bowling is being led by Arshdeep and has the presence of Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett. Yuzvendra Chahal can be a match-winner on his day. All of this combined, and Punjab find themselves at the top of the table.
Now, when you look at Lucknow Super Giants, a lot of these elements seem to be missing, especially with their batting. The loss to RCB at the Chinnaswamy was once again a reminder that the batting unit doesn’t seem to be clicking at all.
Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram, who provided them with big starts, have struggled for consistency. Rishabh Pant’s batting output still struggles to justify the Rs. 27 Crore spent by the owners on him. 104 runs from five matches with a strike-rate of 122.35 isn’t what you expect when such money is being spent on you.
Nicholas Pooran looks like a shadow of himself from the 2025 season, where coming in at No.3 helped him find consistency and rhythm. Last season the output was 524 runs from 14 games. This season, the move to No.5 has yielded just 42 runs from five matches.
The bowling has been a bright spot with Prince Yadav and Mohammed Shami, who have impressed in the powerplay and have got nine and four wickets so far.
With Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav nearing match fitness, Lucknow will hope that the bowling can get them some momentum.
PBKS VS LSG: HEAD-TO-HEAD
When it comes to the head to head stats, there is nothing to separate the two teams. They have played six matches so far and have won three games each.
Last season, PBKS were able to complete the double over LSG on their way to the final.
WILL PANT BE READY FOR PUNJAB CHALLENGE?
Pant famously joked after the IPL 2025 auction that he was happy not to be picked by PBKS and wanted to go to LSG. Now he needs to justify the backing shown by the owners and deliver a good performance.
He was hit on the elbow by Josh Hazlewood during the loss to RCB and went off the field before coming on to bat later on. He didn’t come out in the second innings and there were doubts about his participation in the upcoming game. But LSG bowling coach Bharat Arun confirmed that Pant is fit and ready to lead the side once again.
“He is perfectly alright, fit enough to play tomorrow,” said Arun.
Pant doesn’t have the best records against PBKS, scoring just 218 runs from 15 matches. That will need to change immensely.
CAN LUCKNOW STOP PRIYANSH-PRABHSIMRAN ONSLAUGHT?
PBKS bowling coach James Hopes was all praise when it came to the opening pair. He said that he is unsure if Prabhsimran and Priyansh were aware of how good they are.
“I actually don’t think they realise how good they actually are. I’ve never seen an uncapped player do what Priyansh has done since his first game; he looks like an even better player this year. As for boys like Nehal and Shashank in the middle, they haven’t been required to do much yet because of how well our top order is playing. They are doing their jobs with little cameos, but I’m sure they will step up when they are needed in the coming games,” said Hopes.
Priyansh has 118 runs from four games with a strike-rate of 245.83, while Prabhsimran has 211 at 172.95 from five games.
Adding to this, captain Shreyas makes the batting look so much more solid with 203 runs from five matches, with three fifties with an average of 67.67 and a strike-rate of 187.96.
If LSG need to win the game, they will need to ensure that they get early wickets, something they have done well this season. The middle-order of Punjab has been relatively untested this season and that will be looked at by Lucknow ahead of the preparations for the contest.
PBKS vs LSG: PITCH AND CONDITIONS
The surface to used on Sunday is one that hasn’t been used in any of the past 13 matches at New Chandigarh. The exact nature is yet to be determined, but judging by the ones next to it, it could turn out to be a mixed bag.
The weather is expected to be hot and dry, with temperatures likely to touch 37°C, while dew could also play a role later in the game.
PBKS vs LSG: PREDICTED XIS AND IMPACT SUBS
Punjab Kings (starting XI): Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Impact sub: Nehal Wadhera
Lucknow Super Giants (starting XI): Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (capt), Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, George Linde, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav,
Impact sub: Mayank Yadav/Digvesh Rathi
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