Punjab Kings (PBKS) will look to return to winning ways when they square off against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their fifth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, April 15.
The Kings have lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and reigning champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in their previous two matches of IPL 2023. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side earlier began their IPL 2023 campaign by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their first two matches.
With four points from four games, the PBKS outfit is currently placed sixth in the IPL 2023 standings.
On the other hand, Lucknow Super Giants have won three of their four matches in the ongoing IPL.
The KL Rahul-led LSG have secured victories over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Their only defeat in IPL 2023 came against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Having registered three wins and one loss, LSG are currently placed second in the IPL 2023 standings with six points from four matches.
Meanwhile, let us look at some of the stats and numbers ahead of the clash between the Kings and the Super Giants in Lucknow on Saturday.
Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings head-to-head
Lucknow Super Giants beat Punjab Kings by 20 runs in their only meeting in the IPL in Pune last year.
Put into bat, LSG rode on Quinton de Kock's 46 off 37 balls and Deepak Hooda's 28-ball 34 to post 153/8 in their 20 overs. In reply, the Kings could only manage 133/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Krunal Pandya was adjudged the Player of the Match for his match-winning spell as he registered figures of 4-1-11-2.
| Competition | Total Matches | Won by LSG | Won by PBKS |
| Overall | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Clash of Consistency – Shikhar Dhawan vs KL Rahul
Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan has amassed 400 or more runs in the last seven seasons of the IPL. Dhawan is the current Orange Cap holder, having scored 233 runs in just 4 innings at an average of 116.50 and an excellent strike rate of 146.54.
Dhawan in IPL since 2018
| Season | Innings | Runs | Average | SR |
| 2018 | 16 | 497 | 38.2 | 137 |
| 2019 | 16 | 521 | 34.7 | 136 |
| 2020 | 17 | 618 | 44.1 | 145 |
| 2021 | 16 | 587 | 39.1 | 125 |
| 2022 | 14 | 460 | 38.3 | 123 |
| 2023 | 4 | 233 | 116.50 | 147 |
LSG skipper KL Rahul has also been one of the consistent performers in the high-profile T20 tournament since 2018. However, Rahul has had a poor start to IPL 2023 season. He has scored 81 runs in four innings at an average of 20.3 and a strike rate of only 100.
KL Rahul in IPL since 2018
| Season | Innings | Runs | Average | SR |
| 2018 | 14 | 659 | 54.9 | 158 |
| 2019 | 14 | 593 | 53.9 | 135 |
| 2020 | 14 | 670 | 55.8 | 129 |
| 2021 | 13 | 626 | 62.6 | 139 |
| 2022 | 15 | 616 | 51.3 | 135 |
| 2023 | 4 | 81 | 20.3 | 100 |
KL Rahul is the leading run getter in IPL since 2018 while Shikhar Dhawan is second highest run scorer.
Most runs in IPL since 2018
| Player | Innings | Runs | SR |
| KL Rahul | 74 | 3245 | 138 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 83 | 2916 | 134 |
| Jos Buttler | 61 | 2508 | 152 |
Shikhar Dhawan is the second highest run-getter in the IPL and is now only 23 runs away from scoring 6500 runs in the T20 tournament.
Most runs in IPL
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average |
| Virat Kohli | 218 | 6788 | 36.7 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 209 | 6477 | 36 |
| David Warner | 166 | 6090 | 42.3 |
Both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have been prolific in powerplay overs in IPL since 2018. Dhawan has scored the
most runs while Rahul is second on the list.
Most runs scored in powerplay overs since 2018
| Player | Innings | Runs | SR |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 83 | 1423 | 129 |
| KL Rahul | 73 | 1418 | 125 |
| Quinton de Kock | 66 | 1188 | 132 |
Pace dominant Punjab Kings
In IPL 2023, Punjab Kings have been heavily reliant on their pace unit in their bowling department. The PBKS pacers have picked up 15 of the 19 wickets in the ongoing T20 tournament so far.
Punjab Kings' bowlers in IPL 2023
| Pacers | Spinners | |
| 42.5 | Overs | 30.1 |
| 15 | Wickets | 4 |
| 25.1 | Average | 62.3 |
| 8.8 | Economy | 8.3 |
The Kings' pace unit has been successful in restricting opposition batters from scoring runs, as they have the joint-best
economy (8.6) amongst pacers for any team in IPL since 2022.
Best economy by pacers for a team in IPL since 2022
| Team | Economy |
| Punjab Kings | 8.6 |
| Gujarat Titans | 8.6 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 8.7 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 8.7 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 8.8 |
Mark Wood - Super Giants' player to watch out for
Lucknow Super Giants' bowlers have picked up 25 wickets in IPL 2023. Meanwhile, LSG pacers have bagged 13 wickets at an economy of 9.4
Out of the total wickets taken by pacers, Mark Wood has scalped 69% of these wickets (9/13). With nine wickets, he is joint second highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy |
| Yuzvendra Chahal (RR) | 4 | 10 | 12.10 | 7.56 |
| Rashid Khan (GT) | 4 | 9 | 13.33 | 7.50 |
| Mark Wood (LSG) | 3 | 9 | 10.55 | 7.91 |
| Alzarri Joseph (GT) | 4 | 7 | 17.28 | 7.56 |
| Arshdeep Singh (PBKS) | 4 | 7 | 17.00 | 8.50 |
Some more stats to keep an eye on
• Amit Mishra (169) needs 2 more wickets to become the 3rd highest wicket taker in IPL, he will surpass Malinga (170).
• Arshdeep Singh needs 3 more wickets to complete 50 IPL wickets.
• Shikhar Dhawan is one half century away from scoring 50 half centuries in IPL.
• Deepak Hooda will be playing his 100th IPL match, if he takes the field v PBKS.
• Marcus Stoinis needs 4 more wickets to complete 100 T20 wickets.
• KL Rahul needs 6 more fours to complete 400 T20 fours in India
• Bhanuka Rajapaksa needs 60 more runs to complete 3000 T20 runs.
• KL Rahul needs 30 more runs to complete 4000 IPL runs.
• Shikhar Dhawan is 23 runs away from scoring 6500 runs in IPL.
