Punjab Kings leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal expressed happiness and relief after his team defeated Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets in IPL 2026. The important victory at the Ekana Cricket Stadium kept Punjab’s playoff hopes alive.
Punjab Kings chased down a target of 197 in just 18 overs. Captain Shreyas Iyer led the team with a brilliant unbeaten 101 off 51 balls. He also shared a match-winning 140-run partnership with Prabhsimran Singh.
The win helped Punjab move to fourth place in the points table. It also ended a disappointing run of six straight defeats. PBKS had started the season strongly by winning six of their first seven matches before losing momentum in the second half of the tournament.
Chahal speaks about PBKS’ difficult phase
Speaking after the match, Chahal said the team stayed united despite the poor results and continued to believe in themselves.
“When you win six of your first seven matches and then go on to lose the next six, after a point, there’s nothing left to say. How you keep the team together and the environment close-knit becomes key. So, there were never any negative thoughts. Even during practice, the focus was on ourselves and how we could get those two points because it had been almost a month since we last won a game. So, this win feels special,” Chahal said on JioHotstar after the game.
Punjab Kings still need other results to go in their favour to qualify for the playoffs. They are hoping Mumbai Indians defeat Rajasthan Royals in the next match.
Chahal also made a funny comment about the game.
“We will be in Lucknow only. Hopefully, RR lose tomorrow and Rohit Sharma scores 200 directly, it’s been a long time,” he said.
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