By Leighton Levy- Nicholas Pooran’s worrying slump with the bat continued on Sunday as the explosive left-hander managed just six runs in Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) 37-run defeat to Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Pooran, who looked in imperious form earlier in the season with 349 runs in his first six innings, has now failed to cross 30 in his last five appearances. His recent scores—8, 11, 9, 27, and now 6—highlight a concerning dip in form just as the tournament reaches its crucial phase.
Chasing a mammoth 237 for victory at the IPL, LSG lost early wickets, including Pooran—who was trapped lbw by the in-form Arshdeep Singh in the fourth over. The Punjab left-armer was lethal with the new ball, removing Aiden Markram (13) and Mitchell Marsh (0) before cleaning up Pooran to leave Lucknow struggling at 27-3.
Ayush Badoni played a lone hand with a brilliant 74 from 40 balls, including five fours and five sixes, while Abdul Samad chipped in with a rapid 45 off 24. However, despite a late cameo from Avesh Khan (19* off 10), the Super Giants could only muster 199-7 from their 20 overs.
Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers with exceptional figures of 3-16 from four overs, while Azmatullah Omarzai (2-33) and Marco Jansen (1-31) provided excellent support. Yuzvendra Chahal went for runs but picked up the crucial wicket of Badoni late in the innings.
Earlier, Punjab Kings posted a daunting 236-5 after being sent in to bat, thanks to a stunning 91 off 48 balls from Prabhsimran Singh, who smashed six fours and seven sixes. He was well supported by captain Shreyas Iyer (45 off 25) and Josh Inglis (30 off 14), who took the attack to a lacklustre LSG bowling unit.
Shashank Singh (33* off 15) and Marcus Stoinis (15* off 5) added the finishing touches with a blistering unbroken sixth-wicket stand worth 20 runs in just 1.1 overs, propelling Punjab well past the 230 mark.
For LSG, Akash Singh (2-30) and Digvesh Rathi (2-46) were the only wicket-takers, while Mayank Yadav (0-60) and Avesh Khan (0-57) bore the brunt of the onslaught.
With this result, Punjab Kings keep their playoff hopes alive while Lucknow Super Giants face growing questions—chief among them being Pooran’s sudden loss of form at a critical juncture. (Sportsmax)
