Hey there, cricket fans! If you’re anything like me, there’s nothing quite like settling in with a cup of chai on a Sunday evening to watch the IPL unfold its magic. And boy, did Match 54 of IPL 2025 deliver the drama. On May 4, 2025, at the scenic Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, the Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings Match Scorecard in what turned out to be a one-sided yet utterly entertaining showdown. The mountain air was crisp, the crowd was buzzing, and the stakes? Sky-high as both teams vied for playoff spots in the league’s business end.
I’m talking about a game where boundaries rained like confetti, wickets tumbled like dominoes, and one young opener turned into a runaway train. Punjab Kings posted a mammoth 236 for 5, and then their bowlers, led by the ever-reliable Arshdeep Singh, snuffed out Lucknow’s chase to seal a convincing 37-run victory. It was the kind of match that leaves you replaying highlights late into the night—Prabhsimran Singh’s explosive 91, Ayush Badoni’s gritty fightback, and those swingy new-ball spells that had everyone on the edge of their seats.
As someone who’s followed IPL since its glitzy debut back in 2008, I can tell you this: games like these remind us why we love T20 cricket. It’s fast, it’s furious, and it’s full of those “what if” moments that keep the conversation going for days. Whether you’re a die-hard Punjab supporter or just dipping your toes into the IPL waters, let’s break it all down in a way that’s easy to follow—no jargon overload, just pure cricket joy. We’ll dive into the buildup, the action, the heroes (and a few heartbreakers), and of course, a full scorecard table to geek out over. Grab your popcorn; this is going to be fun.
The Road to Dharamsala: Why This Match Mattered
Picture this: IPL 2025 had been a rollercoaster so far. By early May, the points table was a tangled web of wins, losses, and net run rates that could make your head spin. Punjab Kings, under the steady hand of captain Shreyas Iyer, were riding a wave of momentum. They’d just dismantled Mumbai Indians in their previous outing, showcasing a batting lineup that could score as freely as kids let loose in a candy store. But here’s the kicker—their home record at Dharamsala had been a bit of a curse. Wins there were rarer than a quiet day in the capital. This was their chance to break the hoodoo and climb into the top four.
On the flip side, Lucknow Super Giants were feeling the heat. Led by the dynamic Rishabh Pant, they’d started strong but hit a rough patch with back-to-back losses. Pant, the Rs 27 crore man, was under the microscope—his aggressive style hadn’t quite clicked, and whispers about his form were louder than the Ekana Stadium roars. LSG needed points badly to stay in the playoff hunt, and a win against a resurgent Punjab side would have been the perfect tonic. Toss time? Pant won it and, true to his instincts, opted to bowl first. The pitch looked flat, the skies clear—ideal for a high-scoring thriller. Little did they know, Punjab had other plans.
What made this clash extra spicy was the history. These two teams had met earlier in the season back on April 1 at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium, where Punjab chased down 172 with eight wickets and overs to spare. Prabhsimran Singh starred there too with a quick 69. Could lightning strike twice? Or would LSG flip the script in the hills? The stage was set, and over 20,000 fans packed the stands, turning Dharamsala into a cauldron of yellow and purple.
Punjab’s Power-Packed Innings: Fireworks from Ball One
Right from the get-go, Punjab Kings meant business. Openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh strode out under the floodlights, facing a Lucknow attack spearheaded by the raw pace of Mayank Yadav and the cunning swing of Akash Singh. Arya fell early, nicking one to the slips off Akash for just 4, but that was the only blip in an otherwise flawless script.
Enter Prabhsimran Singh—the 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter who’s been IPL’s best-kept secret. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when a player decides to treat bowlers like they’re bowling machines at a net session, watch his 91 off 48 balls. He smashed 10 fours and 5 sixes, mixing elegant drives with brutal pulls that echoed off the Himalayan backdrop. By the end of the powerplay, Punjab were 65 for 1, and Prabhsimran was already on 42. It was like he’d swallowed a Red Bull mixed with cricket fairy dust.
Josh Inglis joined the party next, promoted up the order for his explosive Aussie flair. He blazed 30 off just 14 balls—think helicopter shots that would make MS Dhoni nod in approval and ramps that kissed the clouds. Together, they stitched a 60-run stand that had LSG’s fielders chasing shadows. Then came skipper Shreyas Iyer, the calm anchor in the storm. His 45 off 25 wasn’t the highest score, but it was gold—picking gaps, rotating strike, and unleashing a couple of cover drives that purred like a well-tuned engine. By the 10-over mark, Punjab had raced to 100 for 2, with Prabhsimran bringing up his fifty in style, lofting Digvesh Rathi over mid-off.
The middle overs saw a brief wobble—Azmatullah Omarzai holed out for 22, trying to up the ante against Shardul Thakur—but Glenn Maxwell steadied things with a brisk 18. Then, the finishers took over. Shashank Singh, the unsung hero of Punjab’s lower order, unleashed 33 off 15 balls, including three sixes that nearly cleared the stadium. His scoop over short fine for the last-ball four was the cherry on top, pushing Punjab to 236 for 5. That’s their highest total of the season and the 11th time they’ve breached 200 in IPL history.
Lucknow’s bowlers toiled hard. Akash Singh picked 2 for 30, including the vital scalp of Prabhsimran, who fell trying to clear long-on off a slower ball. Digvesh Rathi leaked 2 for 46 but showed promise with his variations. Mayank Yadav, clocking 150kph, troubled everyone but ended with 0 for 42—frustrating for the speed demon. Extras crept in at 12, mostly wides under pressure. Punjab’s innings was a masterclass in T20 batting: aggressive yet smart, fearless yet calculated. At the break, LSG faced a mountain—literally and figuratively. Chasing 237 in Dharamsala? It’d take a miracle.
LSG’s Valiant Chase: Guts, Glory, and a Touch of Heartbreak
Handing the bat to Lucknow Super Giants now, and what a ride it was. They needed 12 an over from the outset—daunting, but not impossible if their big guns fired. Openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram walked in, eyes steely, but oh boy, Arshdeep Singh had other ideas. The left-armer, IPL’s purple cap contender, swung the new ball like a wizard’s wand. In his third over, he accounted for both openers: Marsh lbw for a duck, trapped plumb, and Markram caught behind for 5. Just like that, LSG were 27 for 3. The crowd erupted; Punjab sensed blood.
Captain Rishabh Pant, under the pump, promoted himself to No. 4. But it was a false dawn—he scratched around for 8 before Yuzvendra Chahal, the leg-spin maestro, castled him with a googly that turned just enough. David Miller, the veteran South African, promised stability but holed out to deep midwicket off Marco Jansen for 12. At 55 for 5 after 10 overs, LSG were drowning. The required rate? A brutal 18 an over. Whispers of another collapse filled the air.
But cricket, my friends, loves a comeback story. Enter Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad—the unlikely heroes who refused to go down without a fight. Badoni, the 25-year-old from Delhi, played with the heart of a lion. His 74 off 40 balls was poetry in motion: crisp lofts over cover, fierce cuts through point, and a pulled six off Harpreet Brar that sailed into the night. He brought up his fifty with a boundary that screamed defiance. Samad, the explosive Hyderabadi, complemented him perfectly with 45 off 24—full of ramps, slogs, and those trademark inside-out drives. Their 102-run stand off just 58 balls dragged LSG back from the brink, pulling the required rate under 15 at one point.
The duo kept finding the fence—Badoni’s cover drive off Jansen was a thing of beauty, while Samad’s switch hit off Chahal had the commentators gobsmacked. Nicholas Pooran chipped in with a quick 22, but it was these two who saved LSG’s net run rate from total ruin. Alas, the asking rate climbed to 22 in the death, and the equation proved too steep. Badoni fell to Arshdeep’s yorker in the 18th, caught at long-on for a valiant 74. Samad followed soon after, stumped off Chahal for 45. Shardul Thakur (11*) and Avesh Khan (0*) couldn’t bridge the gap. LSG ended at 199 for 7—a gritty effort, but 37 short.
Punjab’s bowlers were lions. Arshdeep’s 3 for 16 in four overs was surgical—his swing and cutters dismantled the top order, vaulting him into the purple cap’s top three. Azmatullah Omarzai snared 2 for 33, including Miller’s wicket with a bouncer. Chahal’s 1 for 28 was economical gold, while Jansen and Brar kept things tight. Impact subs like Vijaykumar Vyshak added bite. It was a total team effort, turning a potential nail-biter into a statement win.
Full Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings Match Scorecard: At a Glance
For all you stats lovers (guilty as charged!), here’s the complete scorecard in a handy table. Easy to scan, whether you’re on your phone or printing it for the family debate.
Punjab Kings Innings
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priyansh Arya | c Pant b Akash Singh | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Prabhsimran Singh | c Pooran b Akash Singh | 91 | 48 | 10 | 5 | 189.58 |
| Josh Inglis | c Badoni b Digvesh Rathi | 30 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 214.29 |
| Shreyas Iyer (c) | c Samad b Shardul Thakur | 45 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 180.00 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | c Miller b Shardul Thakur | 22 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 183.33 |
| Glenn Maxwell | not out | 18 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 225.00 |
| Shashank Singh | not out | 33 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 220.00 |
| Extras | (lb 2, w 10, nb 1) | 13 | – | – | – | – |
| Total | (5 wkts, 20 overs) | 236/5 | RR: 11.80 |
Did not bat: Nehal Wadhera, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal Fall of wickets: 10-1 (Arya, 1.4 ov), 70-2 (Inglis, 5.3 ov), 142-3 (Iyer, 12.2 ov), 170-4 (Omarzai, 14.1 ov), 190-5 (Prabhsimran, 16.5 ov)
Lucknow Super Giants Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Econ | Wides | No Balls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayank Yadav | 4 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 10.50 | 2 | 0 |
| Akash Singh | 4 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 7.50 | 3 | 1 |
| Digvesh Rathi | 4 | 0 | 46 | 2 | 11.50 | 1 | 0 |
| Shardul Thakur | 3 | 0 | 35 | 2 | 11.67 | 2 | 0 |
| Avesh Khan | 2 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 14.00 | 1 | 0 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | 3 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 15.00 | 1 | 0 |
Lucknow Super Giants Innings
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Marsh | lbw b Arshdeep Singh | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Aiden Markram | c †Prabhsimran b Arshdeep | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 83.33 |
| Nicholas Pooran | c Maxwell b Chahal | 22 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 157.14 |
| Rishabh Pant (c & wk) | b Chahal | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 114.29 |
| David Miller | c Inglis b Omarzai | 12 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 |
| Ayush Badoni | c Iyer b Arshdeep Singh | 74 | 40 | 7 | 3 | 185.00 |
| Abdul Samad | st †Prabhsimran b Chahal | 45 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 187.50 |
| Shardul Thakur | not out | 11 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 137.50 |
| Avesh Khan | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | (lb 3, w 19) | 22 | – | – | – | – |
| Total | (7 wkts, 20 overs) | 199/7 | RR: 9.95 |
Did not bat: Ravi Bishnoi, Digvesh Rathi Fall of wickets: 2-1 (Marsh, 0.4 ov), 12-2 (Markram, 2.3 ov), 39-3 (Pant, 5.2 ov), 55-4 (Miller, 7.1 ov), 60-5 (Pooran, 8.4 ov), 162-6 (Samad, 17.3 ov), 190-7 (Badoni, 19.1 ov)
Punjab Kings Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Econ | Wides | No Balls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 4.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Marco Jansen | 4 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 9.50 | 2 | 0 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 4 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 8.25 | 1 | 0 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 4 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 7.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Harpreet Brar | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 12.50 | 1 | 0 |
| Vijaykumar Vyshak | 2 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 26.00 | 3 | 0 |
Player of the Match: Prabhsimran Singh (91 off 48) Impact Players: PBKS – Vijaykumar Vyshak (in for Priyansh Arya); LSG – Mitchell Marsh (in for Avesh Khan)
Standout Stars: Who Lit Up the Dharamsala Night?
Let’s give a shoutout to the game’s game-changers. Prabhsimran Singh wasn’t just the top scorer; he was the heartbeat of Punjab’s innings. His knock had everything—power, placement, and poise. At 24, he’s already got that big-match temperament, and this 91 could be the launchpad for an IPL breakout star. Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, showed why he’s captain material: 45 runs at a strike rate over 180, plus sharp fielding and tactical bowling changes. Arshdeep Singh? The man of the moment. Those three wickets for 16 runs were a bowler’s dream—swing, seam, and smarts that left LSG’s top order shell-shocked.
For LSG, Ayush Badoni deserves a standing ovation. In a chase that was dead and buried, his 74 was a lone warrior’s tale—full of heart and hustle. Abdul Samad’s 45 added the fireworks, proving why uncapped talents are IPL’s secret sauce. Even in defeat, Rishabh Pant’s decision to bowl first showed guts, though his bat needs to catch up soon. And spare a thought for Mayank Yadav—googlies at 150kph are the future, even if the wickets column stayed empty.
What It All Means: Points Table Shake-Up and Looking Ahead
This win catapults Punjab Kings to second place with 15 points from 11 games, just a whisker behind the leaders. Their net run rate jumps too, thanks to that hefty margin. For LSG, it’s a slide to seventh with 10 points—a danger zone where every match feels like a knockout. Playoffs? Still possible, but they’ll need to win out and hope for slip-ups elsewhere.
