Only two IPL matches were played on Sunday, yet the points table shuffled just slightly, with two sides trading places. In the day fixture at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders staged a successful comeback to beat Rajasthan Royals by four wickets. The result lifted the three-time champions to the ninth position, while Mumbai Indians dropped to the bottom of the table. Later that night, Punjab Kings produced a dominant 54-run win over Lucknow Super Giants to hold on to first place, leaving LSG in eighth despite the defeat.
Points table: one night of dominance, one day of comeback
- Sunday’s double-header featured two matches, but only two teams changed their relative spots on the standings.
- Kolkata Knight Riders climbed to ninth after beating Rajasthan Royals by four wickets.
- Mumbai Indians slipped to the last position following KKR’s rise.
- Punjab Kings retained top spot after defeating Lucknow Super Giants by 54 runs.
- Lucknow Super Giants remained eighth even after the loss.
Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants: 254/7 sets the tone
Punjab Kings continued their unbeaten run as explosive batting from opening pair Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly powered the franchise to their season’s highest total, 254/7, after being asked to bat first in Chandigarh.
Big scores and a record-setting total
- Priyansh Arya smashed 93 off 37 balls.
- Cooper Connolly struck 87.
- Punjab reached 254/7, their highest score of the season, in a match where they were invited to bat first.
Why the chase never really got going
In response, Lucknow Super Giants finished on 200/5, but Punjab’s early momentum and pressure ensured the target was always out of reach. Lucknow’s record in the six-match stretch remained: five wins and one no-result.
A key swing came early when Connolly was given an escape in the second over. Skipper Rishabh Pant chose not to challenge an lbw decision from Mohsin Khan, with replays indicating the ball would have hit the stumps. Connolly was on four at the time and went on to build a massive partnership with Arya.
- After the missed review in the second over, Connolly went on from 4 to help craft a decisive partnership.
- Arya and Connolly added 182 runs for the second wicket.
- The pair struck 16 sixes between them as they overwhelmed the Lucknow attack.
Momentum swings: six-hitting blitz and late wickets
Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer praised the batting intent, noting that the pair were essentially pushing each other to hit the most maximums in the season. He said some of the shots were “jaw-dropping” and described how Arya and Connolly had been challenging each other.
As the innings progressed, Arya reached his second fifty of the season in only 19 balls, and Lucknow soon found themselves without solutions for the batting surge. Connolly attacked Aiden Markram with three consecutive sixes, and Arya followed up by adding two more in a 32-run 13th over, leaving Punjab threatening to break the 300-mark.
However, the innings ended without a century. Prince Yadav removed Connolly, and Arya was dismissed three balls later in the next over, meaning both openers fell short of the three-figure mark.
Stoinis and the chase: starts well, slips away
Even after Mohsin Khan dismissed Iyer for five, Punjab still posted a steep total. Marcus Stoinis played a quick knock of 29 off 16 deliveries to help the innings reach its peak, while Mitchell Marsh contributed 40 and Ayush Badoni made 35. Pant himself struck 43.
Lucknow’s chase began briskly with Marsh and Badoni providing early acceleration and Pant adding a further 43, while Markram later fought hard with 42 off 22 balls. Yet regular wickets, paired with an ever-rising required run rate, kept Lucknow behind the asking rate. Despite a few dropped chances by Punjab fielders, the visitors suffered their third straight defeat.
Rishabh Pant summed up the response after the match, saying he still believes in the team and its process, but also acknowledged that when opponents are playing with the right intensity—as Punjab were—credit must go to them for executing “good, hard cricket.”
KKR vs Rajasthan Royals: Rinku Singh’s 53* seals a four-wicket win
Earlier in the day, Rinku Singh remained unbeaten on 53 as Kolkata Knight Riders registered their first win of the IPL season, defeating Rajasthan Royals by four wickets at Eden Gardens.
Rajasthan set 155/9 after a collapse
Rajasthan posted 155/9, but their batting faded after a standout effort from 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who top-scored with 46. After that contribution, the innings lost momentum and wickets followed, leaving the Royals short of a more imposing total.
KKR stumble to 85/6, then Rinku finishes it
Kolkata slipped to 85/6, putting them under pressure during the chase. Still, the left-hander Rinku guided the team home with two balls to spare, converting the comeback into a season-opening triumph for KKR.
(With AFP inputs)
