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Lucknow Super Giants scored the second-highest total in the history of IPL, KL Rahul’s side scored 257/5 in 20 overs against Punjab Kings. It was the highest total of IPL 2023, Kyle Mayers scored 54 in 24 balls, Ayush Badoni scored 43 off 24 balls, Marcus Stoinis the key man with 72 off 40 balls then Nicholas Pooran smashed 45 off 19.
Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis propelled Lucknow Super Giants past the 200-run mark, LSG reached 200/3 after 16 overs, four overs to go as Lucknow eye big total. Kagiso Rabada has claimed two wickets, Liam Livingstone removed Ayush Badoni.
Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan returned to full fitness and won the toss against KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants, PBKS had multiple changes to their side, Sikandar Raza replaced Matthew Short, Kagiso Rabada also came into the playing XI while LSG skipper Rahul made no changes to his side.
Punjab Kings will be hoping to have their talismanic skipper Shikhar Dhawan back to full fitness and raring to go against KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants who have travelled to Mohali ahead of what promises to be an epic mid-table clash in IPL 2023.
Stand-in skipper Sam Curran has led PBKS admirably in Dhawan’s absence, and he was their MVP in their 13-run victory over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede. The most expensive recruit in the history of IPL auction scored a fifty and helped take his side past the 214-run mark, and in return they restricted Rohit Sharma’s side to 201/6, thus winning the match which took them to sixth place in the IPL 2023 points table. Punjab have 8 points from 7 games and will be hoping to leapfrog LSG with a victory in their den.
Rahul’s side on the other hand come into this match on the back of a narrow 7-run defeat at the hands of the Gujarat Titans. It was a low-scoring thriller in Ahmedabad, with Rahul himself scoring a fifty but they were undone by the last-over heroics of Mohit Sharma and Lucknow failed to chase down a 136-run target.
More than the defeat, the manner of the loss would have hurt Rahul and his side as they were in complete control of the chase before collapsing right at the death. The defeat means that they slipped to fourth place in the table, with 8 points from 7 games and only their net run rate has kept them ahead of Punjab.
Rahul remains the leading run-scorer for his side but after their collapse against Gujarat, the 30-year-old will look to respond in stunning fashion, whereas a lot of focus will be on Shikhar as well who has been sitting out the past three matches for PBKS due to his shoulder injury.
Dhawan is the leading run-scorer for his side, and in his absence, Punjab have played really well but one can only imagine how well they can perform with Dhawan and their entire batting lineup firing on all cylinders.
Punjab Kings had recently defeated Lucknow by 2 wickets earlier this season and will hope to do the double over their rivals.
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