New Delhi: A run festival was witnessed in Milanpur on Sunday. It was Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly who lit up the venue with 93 and 87 runs respectively, hitting 16 sixes between them to lead Punjab Kings to an emphatic 54-run win over Lucknow Supergiants.Arya and Connolly put on a 182-run second-wicket partnership in just 13.2 overs, taking PBKS to 254/7 – the highest total this IPL season, surpassing Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 250/3.In reply, LSG posted 5/200 in 20 overs, with captain Rishabh Pant (43), opener Mitchell Marsh (40) and Aiden Markram (42) putting up some resistance.Amidst the run-fest, the match also featured a series of dropped catches that left the Punjab Kings camp – especially the head coach Ricky Ponting –.Looking disappointed Shashank Singh Faced tough competition in the field while dropping three catches.One of the key moments came off Arsdeep Singh in the 18th over, when Markram shot towards covers. Shashank had a clear chance but looked comfortable, and the ball went over the boundary cushion for a six. Arsdeep looked visibly unhappy, while Ponting, when shown on camera, looked shocked and angry at the blunder.After the match as Punjab Kings celebrated the win, the skipper Shreyas Iyer shared a lighthearted moment with Shashank – hugged him and even playfully covered his face with a cap, apparently shielding him from Ponting’s glare.Later, Ponting was also seen cuddling with Shashank, putting the moment behind them.Punjab Kings, the runners-up in IPL 2025, now top the points table with five wins from six matches. Punjab Kings have 11 points with a net run rate of +1.420.
