Punjab Kings are set to face Lucknow Super Giants in a must-win showdown on Saturday at Ekana Cricket Stadium. For PBKS, they must win this final league match to keep their playoff hopes alive. If they happen to suffer a defeat, then it could bring a heartbreaking end to a season that started on a promising note.
They currently sit fifth on the points table with 13 points, lurking outside the qualification spots. Notably, in the opening phase of the tournament, Punjab were relentless, remaining unbeaten through their first seven matches. Six emphatic victories and one abandoned game took them to the top of the points table. However, a shocking collapse shattered their dream start, with Punjab slipping into a disastrous run of form, suffering six consecutive defeats that wiped out all the advantages they had built earlier in the campaign. Now, Punjab find themselves in a complicated situation. Firstly, they need to secure victory in the final league fixture and hope other outcomes work in their favour.
Meanwhile, the season has unfolded very differently for Lucknow. The Lucknow Super Giants endured a difficult campaign right from the beginning and struggled to gain momentum throughout the tournament. Poor performances have them at the bottom of the table with eight points. They are already out of the playoff picture; however, they will be eager to finish their disappointing season on a positive note.
Head-to-head
Matches - 7
LSG won - 3
PBKS won - 4
LSG probable XII: Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi
PBKS probable XII: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal