The Lucknow Super Giants will take on the Punjab Kings in the 13th match of the 2025 Indian Premier League at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The match is scheduled to be played on April 1 at 7:30 PM IST.

The Punjab Kings and the Lucknow Super Giants will face each other in the 13th fixture of the 2025 Indian Premier League at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on April 1 at 7:30 PM IST. LSG will play their inaugural home game of the season, whereas PBKS will be hosting their game at another ground.

Both sides will head to this game following a victory. While PBKS won an exciting game over Gujarat Titans in their home stadium, LSG also defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in their home stadium. LSG lost an exciting game against DC by a single wicket and then responded with a dominating comeback. PBKS, meanwhile, are playing just their second game of the season and are looking to maintain their winning run.

Both teams have some of the best players globally. Whilst LSG has players such as Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, and others, PBKS has Yuzvendra Chahal, Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Glenn Maxwell, and others. A fierce battle between bat and ball is on the horizon with a close outcome.

Match Preview

Lucknow Super Giants

Aiden Markram should lead the front line and also make a big impact through his aggressive off-spin. Mitchell Marsh's raw power will also come in handy with the new ball. Marsh played a half-century after stepping in against the Sunrisers.

The left-handed explosive Nicholas Pooran from the West Indies can replace the South African or Australian in the powerplay. Pooran has scored 421 runs in his previous ten IPL matches with a batting average in excess of 60 and a strike rate of more than 200.

Rishabh Pant stands to gain so much from leading the team as captain. He will oversee the team not only with his aggressive batting, but also while in the field. Pant has accumulated over 3,000 IPL runs.

South African David Miller is among the world's best white-ball finishers. The middle-order batter collected one century and 13 half-centuries in the IPL. Emerging players Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad are providing depth with impactful cameos lower down the order. The 24-year-old Samad is only one run away from scoring 600 runs in IPL to date.

All-rounder Shardul Thakur is a handy option at number seven with match-winning hitting and an ability to pick up wickets at crucial times. The bowling all-rounder had four wickets in his last IPL game.

Pacer Avesh Khan will be looking to get back to his top game that gave him a taste of what it is like to play in the blue of India. He has taken 27 T20I wickets for India. Khan is ably assisted by the raw speed of rookie Prince Yadav. Spin responsibilities are with established wicket-taker Ravi Bishnoi. The leg-spinner has 66 IPL wickets.

Punjab Kings

Captain Shreyas Iyer holds the batting together with poise and stability. Even from his comeback from injury, he keeps reflecting his attacking nature. Iyer was far and away the best batsman against Gujarat, remaining unbeaten on 97 runs.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhsimran Singh and top gun Priyansh Arya, who is on song in his first IPL season, are likely to be the ones to start the team off at a fast pace. Arya began with 47 runs and a strike rate of more than 200 against the Titans.

Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis provide tested overseas know-how. Maxwell's aggressive power-striking and off-spin and Stoinis's penetration and effective seam bowling will keep the team in the contest throughout both innings. The Australian Stoinis has accumulated 1,886 IPL runs and picked up 43 IPL wickets.

The Kings are bolstering their middle order too, with last season's breakout performer Shashank Singh and emerging talent Suryansh Shedge. They both bring more fire to their late-order batting. Singh put the seal on his last IPL match with a whirlwind 44 not out from 16 balls. New Afghan recruit Azmatullah Omarzai is a handy seam bowler with bat as well as ball.

Left-arm pace spearheads Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen pace with swing and bounce. Both will perform a brilliant job in the death overs as well. Singh picked two wickets against Gujarat. Left-arm pacer Jansen has more than 20 IPL wickets. Yuzvendra Chahal's trickery in the middle overs gives a wicket-taking push.

Pitch Report

The pitch at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow is known for its balanced surface, offering advantages to both batsmen and bowlers. The surface typically favors spinners, especially later in the game, so it's crucial for teams to plan accordingly. The black surfaces provide grip, leading to lower strike rates, while the red surfaces can provide some bounce. Dew could play a role in the second innings, potentially aiding chasing teams.

Toss Prediction

When it comes to batting at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, it seems like going first might be the way to go, especially since batting in the second innings gets easier with the dew settling in. In fact, during the 2024 IPL, four out of the seven matches held here were clinched by the team chasing the score.

Weather Report

As for the weather, there's only a 5% chance of interruptions, so we don't expect it to have much impact on the game. The temperature is predicted to reach a high of 36°C and a low of 20°C during the match.

Head to Head

Currently, the Lucknow Super Giants hold a 3-1 lead in their matchups against the Punjab Kings. They faced off last season, and LSG came out on top.

Venue Details

The average first-innings score at the Ekana Cricket Stadium sits at 166. Last season, the Kolkata Knight Riders set the bar high with a score of 235-6 against the Lucknow Super Giants, winning that match by a whopping 98 runs. Interestingly, that was the only score over 200 runs out of 14 innings played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium during the 2024 IPL.

Match Prediction

Both the Lucknow Super Giants and the Punjab Kings are seen as strong contenders this season. Lucknow has shown resilience, even with two of their key fast-hitters sidelined due to injuries, thanks to their top batsmen stepping up. Meanwhile, Punjab plays with a fearless mindset and boasts a solid batting lineup to back it up. Their bowling has also been impressive so far. While this match is tough to call, on paper, Punjab seems to have a slight edge based on their overall performance. We’d give them a 55-45 advantage.

So, we’re putting our support behind the LSG to take this match!

Betting Tips

We think PBKS has a bit of an edge because their team is more well-rounded. LSG tends to be a bit top-heavy, and if they lose a couple of wickets early on, their batting could really struggle. Plus, we feel that PBKS boasts a stronger and more dependable batting lineup. Having Shreyas Iyer as captain is definitely a plus for the Punjab Kings.

When it comes to their head-to-head record, LSG has a slight advantage with a 51% win rate against PBKS.

Probable Playing XI

Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI

Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), David Miller, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav Impact Player: Mitchell Marsh.

Punjab Kings Playing XI

Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal Impact Player: Nehal Wadhera.

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Lucknow Super Giants Key Players

Nicholas Pooran, explosive West Indian batsman and quick player for LSG, has been creating waves with his incredible performances. The left-handed batter scored a whopping 145 runs in the last two games. With his present form, he's surely our first option to captain him.

Mitchell Marsh the prolific Australian batsman also impressed with a wonderful 124 runs in his previous two matches. Based on how well he's doing, he's also another candidate for the captaincy.

Ravi Bishnoi, he didn't have a good season last year, but yet he was able to pick up ten wickets. Until the two games played this season, he's picked up three wickets and is our top choice for the next game.

Punjab Kings Key Players

Shreyas Iyer was the Punjab Kings' costliest signing and repaid the Kings' faith with a masterful half-century in the first game against GT. This is our number one choice for the next match.

Arshdeep Singh was phenomenal in T20 last season, claiming 19 wickets and being Punjab Kings' one of the most consistent contributors. This is our number one choice for the next match.

Priyansh Arya Punjab Kings opening batsman added 47 runs from 23 balls with seven boundaries and two sixes and had a good strike rate of 204.35.