Punjab Kings kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with an emphatic seven-wicket win over Lucknow Supergiants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday night, but an untoward incident involving fans and cheerleaders during the match also drew attention.The stadium was buzzing with excitement for the high-stakes contest, with Punjab Kings needing a win to stay alive in the playoff race. However, amid the thrilling encounter, a section of fans were seen allegedly misbehaving with the cheerleaders during the match. According to the scene at the stadium, police officials quickly intervened and took action against the group of fans. Women police personnel were also seen talking to those involved and trying to control the situation.on the field Shreyas Iyer The captain’s knock produced a memorable win for Punjab Kings and ended their six-match losing streak.Iyer celebrated passionately after completing his maiden IPL century, taking off his helmet and raising his arms after sealing the PBKS victory.The win moved Punjab Kings to fourth place in the points table with 15 points from 14 matches and a net run rate of +0.309.However, Punjab are yet to officially secure a place in the playoffs.Now he will be closely watching Sunday’s clash between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.If Rajasthan Royals, currently on 14 points, win the match, they will move to 16 points and overtake Punjab Kings. But if Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan, Kolkata Knight Riders will still have an outside chance of overtaking PBKS on net run rate with a huge win over Delhi Capitals.Mumbai Indians are already out of the playoff contention.Head coach of Punjab Kings after the victory Ricky Ponting Praised his team and especially captain Iyer for stepping up under pressure.“We’ve done it the hard way, let’s look at it this way. We did what we needed to do today. Very clinical chasing. Captain, he’s done that all season. Tonight is his first IPL century. We’ll sit back and celebrate. There’s a reason I spent so much money in the auction a few years ago (we worked with Iyer at D-level). I’ve never seen a brilliant player (Prabhasmaran) before.” He and Priyansh have been brilliant for us in the last two seasons. Seeing him play a solid innings tonight will do him the world of good. We will try to get the boys together and see it (RR-MI game),” Ponting said.
