It was just not our night! Despite valiant efforts from our batters, we lost our first home game of the IPL 2025 season to Punjab Kings by eight wickets on Tuesday.

Put in to bat, our boys rode on contributions from Pooran (44), Badoni (41), Aiden Markram (28) and Abdul Samad (27) to post 171/7 in our 20 overs.

Later, our bowlers fought hard till the very end, but it wasn't enough as the Kings chased down the target in 16.2 overs.

Markram shines in powerplay

Our stylish opening batter Aiden Markram looked in great touch despite losing Mitchell Marsh in the opening over. Markram played some scintillating shots in the powerplay as he managed a quick-fire 28, which included four fours and one six before he fell to Lockie Ferguson. We soon suffered another huge blow as our captain Rishabh Pant departed in the fifth over.

Pooran, Badoni stitch crucial partnership

Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni later steadied the ship with a brilliant partnership. Our Caribbean southpaw counter-attacked the PBKS bowlers, while Badoni played the anchor role.

Pooran and Badoni added 54 runs for the fourth wicket before our flamboyant left-hander departed for a well-made 44 off just 30 balls. His impressive knock was laced with five fours and two sixes.

Badoni, Samad power us to 171

Batting at No.6, our swashbuckling southpaw David Miller then hammered three boundaries to put the pressure back on the bowlers. While Miller fell for 19 runs, Badoni and Abdul Samad continued the onslaught as our dynamic duo smashed PBKS pacer Arshdeep Singh for 20 runs in the 18th over.

Badoni's 41 off 33 balls and Samad's blazing cameo of 27 runs helped us post 171/7 in our 20 overs.

Our mystery spinner strikes early

Defending 171, our mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi provided us with an early breakthrough as he dismissed Priyansh Arya in the third over of the chase.

Digvesh provides crucial breakthrough

After suffering an early setback, wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh and captain Shreyas Iyer forged an oustanding partnership for the visitors. In the 11th over, Digvesh then provided us with a much-needed breakthrough as he removed Prabhsimran courtesy of a sensational effort from Badoni and Bishnoi to pull off a jaw-dropping catch.

Tough night in Lucknow

Despite best efforts from our bowlers, Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera later established an unbeaten 67-run partnership for the third wicket to guide the Kings to an eight-wicket win in Lucknow.

What next for the Super Giants?

Our boys will look to quicky bounce back against the Mumbai Indians at our home on Friday.

Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 171/7 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 44, Ayush Badoni 41; Arshdeep Singh 3/43) lost to Punjab Kings 177/2 in 16.2 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 69, Shreyas Iyer 52; Digvesh Singh Rathi 2/30) by 8 wickets.