LSG vs PBKS Man of the Match Today: Who Was the MOTM in Lucknow vs Punjab IPL 2023 Match?

The recently concluded 21st match of the ongoing 16th season of the Indian Premier League between Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings is a testament to the fact that decent run-chases can also turn out to become quintessential cliffhangers.

Chasing a 160-run target at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Punjab registered a thrilling victory with 2 wickets and three balls remaining in the match. Needing three runs off four balls, Shahrukh Khan (23*) hit a Ravi Bishnoi (2/18) delivery for a boundary to not let the equation further drop.

Coming in to bat at No. 8 in the 16th over, Khan hit a four and two sixes at a strike rate of 230 to justify the faith imposed by the franchise in him.

Asked to bat first by Kings stand-in captain Sam Curran (3/31 & 6), Lucknow scored a mediocre 159/8 in 20 overs. Although it came at a strike rate of 132.14, captain KL Rahul scoring 74 (56) in an otherwise dismal batting effort from his teammtes.

LSG vs PBKS Man of the Match Today

Much like the home team, the visitors were also powered by a half-century from Sikandar Raza (57). Batting at No. 3 right after the powerplay, the Zimbabwean all-rounder’s maiden IPL half-century played a key role in a winning cause tonight.

While Curran was the pick of the Punjabi bowlers, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada dismissed a couple of batters middle-order batters. The others to pick a wicket apiece were Harpreet Brar, Raza and Arshdeep Singh. Other than dismissing Deepak Hooda (2) in the middle overs, Raza also grabbed a catch in the death overs to be rightly adjudged the Player of the Match.

“Feels great, to be honest. When I got out, there were a few demons in my head. Credit to Shahrukh [Khan]. Nice to get a fifty but if we had lost, I wouldn’t have felt so good. It’s one of the biggest stage. You’re here and you want to do well. I’ve had two average games which was there in my head,” Raza told Star Sports Network during the post-match presentation ceremony.