Punjab Kings will put their unbeaten start on the line when they meet Lucknow Super Giants in Match 29 of IPL 2026 at Mullanpur on April 19. Punjab are top of the table with four wins in five matches, while Lucknow sit in seventh place after losing three of their five games.
The contest may be shaped as much by the players who are available as by the ones who are not. Rishabh Pant is doubtful because of an elbow injury, and that would leave Lucknow without one of their biggest names in a game they badly need to steady their season.
Punjab arrive with form and numbers on their side. Prabhsimran Singh has 211 runs this season, including 211 runs in four innings at an average of 70.33, and he has already produced an 80 not out off 39 balls against Mumbai Indians. Shreyas Iyer has also been in exceptional touch, scoring 203 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 187.96, with three half-centuries and scores above 50 at a steady rate.
The match also brings several one-on-one battles into focus. Mitchell Marsh has struggled against Arshdeep Singh in T20 cricket, dismissed by him three times and averaging 15 while scoring 45 runs off 27 balls at a strike rate of 166.66. Iyer, meanwhile, has made 14 runs off 6 balls against Prince Yadav, who has taken nine wickets in five matches at an average of 18.22 and posted 3/32 against RCB.
There are other matchups that could matter if the game turns into a chase. Yuzvendra Chahal has dismissed Pant three times and has given up 92 runs in 64 balls to him, while Prabhsimran has scored 197 runs against Mohammed Shami in T20 encounters and has been out only once. Nicholas Pooran has also handled Marco Jansen cleanly, making 66 runs in 42 balls without being dismissed in IPL meetings.
Punjab’s unbeaten record gives them the edge, but Lucknow still have the ingredients to make this awkward if their top order fires and their bowlers land early blows. If Pant does not play, the pressure shifts further onto Marsh, Pooran and Shami to drag a struggling side back into the contest.