LSG vs PBKS

Right then, one more time in the history of this amazing tournament we go into the final day of the league stage with a playoff spot up for grabs - if RR beat MI in the afternoon in Mumbai tomorrow, both PBKS and KKR will be knocked out but if MI win then KKR will need to win by 77+ runs or with 8+ overs to spare approximately against DC in the evening for sneaking into the playoffs ahead of PBKS

Plenty to look ahead to then, make sure you join us tomorrow. For now, this is Sourabh Agrawal signing off on behalf of Bidipto Datta and the rest of the team. Cheers!

Shreyas Iyer is not only the winning captain tonight but also the Player of the Match tonight for his maiden IPL century, this is what he had to say: Ecstatic, my first hunderd and it came at the right time when the team needed it. More importantly, the win for the team after 6 losses and hoping to support MI tomorrow

Elated (on their bowling performance). Specially after going for 16 in the first over. Azmat bowled brilliantly, it is all about momentum. Specially Yuzi, the way he came back, took the wicket of Pant. In the last game he leaked a lot of runs but to come back in the way he did tonight, credit to him for showing character

I know if I give myself time in the middle rather than get on top of the ball, it is necessary for me to stay out there, the runs keep coming. For Prabh, it takes two to tango. He was temperamentally active and we had sensational communication in the middle. It is a surreal feeling when you finish off the game and score a century, all the batters dream of that. I felt super from within, I knew how the wicket was playing

(message to the team when they were losing) Honestly speaking, we did not say anything. We kept it simple, rather than having meetings and putting extra pressure on the boys. It is important to let them be, free flow of mind is required in crucial games. Today I literally told Ricky that let's just not do any team meetings, let's just go to the ground and do the rituals that we do.

Ricky Ponting (Punjab Kings Head Coach): "We've done it the hard way! We were sloppy in the field again, and so, we gave away 20 more runs. But it was a pretty clinical chase. The captain has done incredibly, once again! There was a reason why I spent as much money as I did on Shreyas Iyer! But, the biggest thing is the respect he commands. When he speaks, no one even bats an eyelid. Six losses in a row after six wins and a no result, well, we now have to sit and watch what happens tomorrow. The level of cricket we played in the first half was not matched later on, but today we were good. Prabhsimran just realized this season how good a player he is! Him playing a mature innings like this will only help him. We will try to get the boys together to watch the match tomorrow afternoon, let's see if I have fingernails left!" 

Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants captain): "Initial thoughts are that it's a tough one! But we've still got to bite the bullets. Lots of learnings, both good and bad. I think we got enough runs. But here at the Ekana, it does get better to bat on in the 2nd innings. As a team, we want to look at the positives. Josh (Inglis) has been good, Mitch (Mitchell Marsh) was superb. Prince (Yadav) has got an India call. Shami bhai was terrific! Sometimes, idea without accountability isn't the best thing. But we have to move on from taking the learnings. We have to come back stronger next time." 

11:08 PM local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Punjab Kings (200/3 in 18 overs) beat Lucknow Super Giants (196/6 in 20 overs) by 7 wickets

Shreyas Iyer 101*(51) | Yuzvendra Chahal 2/25(4)
Josh Inglis 72(44) | Mohammad Shami 2/45(4)

Up go the arms, a maiden IPL century for Shreyas Iyer as he hugs Shedge at the other end and PBKS live to fight another day. Breathe easy, PBKS fans, you are still alive. It was the 25th of April when PBKS won their last game and almost a month later they have finally managed to get out of this ugly rut that they got themselves into and it is the skipper who leads from the front and shows how it is done in a clinical run chase taking PBKS to number 4 in the points table, at least for now

With this result, Delhi Capitals have been officially eliminated from the Playoffs race. Only PBKS, RR and KKR remain in contention now for that sole remaining spot. Who will take it? We wil find out tomorrow

Tonight though belongs to Shreyas Iyer and his Punjab Kings, the pressure was on them with six losses in a row and on the last chance they have responded with a clinical performance which was missing in the last month or so

197 was not a low score on this pitch, it was a decent one as the ball was doing a bit in the initial few overs and the off pace deliveries into the wicket were offering a bit too. Shami made full use of that movement with the new ball, a wicket off the first ball to get rid of Priyansh Arya for a golden duck and then cleaned Cooper Connolly up a couple of overs later to get PBKS to 22/2

But then, a massive 140-run partnership between Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer for the third wicket as the two of them set their stalls out and made sure there was no further hiccup in the run chase. Prabhsimran did get a couple of reprieves, he got his 6th fifty of the season before Arjun Tendulkar finally got him in the 15th over but it was a bit too late for LSG by then as PBKS only needd 35 from 30 then

It was truly a flawless innings from Shreyas Iyer, one that was needed by his team and that has taken PBKS over his line here tonight in Lucknow

17.6 Mohsin Khan to Shreyas Iyer, SIX RUNS! SHREYAS IYER GETS TO HIS HUNDRED AND PUNJAB KINGS FINISH THE GROUP STAGE WITH 15 POINTS! Good length, slightly slow and around off-stump. Shreyas gets across his stumps, stays on the back foot, clears the left leg and hoicks it well over wide long-on for a maximum to reach his first three-figure score in the IPL! 

17.5 Mohsin Khan to Suryansh Shedge, back of a length and slow around off. Shedge taps it off the back foot to silly point for another quick single! 

17.4 Mohsin Khan to Shreyas Iyer, hard length with pace taken off, outside off. Swung away, across the line on the back foot, to deep mid-wicket for a single. 

17.3 Mohsin Khan to Shreyas Iyer, short, slow and around off. Shreyas goes across to cut it off the back foot, but it's just too close! No run.

17.2 Mohsin Khan to Suryansh Shedge, good length and slow around off. Patted on the up from the front foot, to the point region, for a single. 

17.1 Mohsin Khan to Suryansh Shedge, over the wicket, FOUR! Into the pitch and around off. Shedge late-cuts, and gets it away between the keeper and short third for a boundary! 

Shedge keeps the strike with just 10 runs needed, Iyer is on 94*. This could well be the final over of the night and Mohsin Khan [3.0-0-35-0] will bowl it