Prabhsimran Singh hit a blistering 69 off just 34 balls as Punjab Kings made short work of a target of 172 set by Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday.
Punjab cruised to victory with 22 balls at spare to notch up their second successive win in the tournament, while it was the second defeat in three games for LSG.
Prabhsimran was dismissed by an outstanding relay catch on the boundary line as Ayush Badoni pushed the ball back in for Ravi Bishnoi to pouch it. That was the second wicket to fall, both to spinner Digvesh Rathi.
But it did not stem the onslaught as skipper Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera were involved in an unbroken stand of 67 runs in 6.1 overs.
Iyer followed up his unbeaten 97 in the opening game with an unbeaten 52 off just 30 balls, while Wadhera was no slouch, remaining not out on 43 in 25 balls.
Earlier, Punjab Kings had brought up their hundred in just 9.1 overs for the loss of a solitary wicket.
Prabhsimran was in a punishing mood, racing to his fifty in just 23 balls.
He took no time to get going, hammering Shardul Thakur for a four and a six in the first over.
Prabhsimran's opening partner Priyansh Arya was the only batsman to miss out, being caught by Shardul Thakur off Rathi for eight.
That did not deter Prabhsimran who hit Ravi Bishnoi for 15 runs in his first over as Punjab went into the strategic timeout at 62/1 in six overs.
LSG then brought on left-arm spinner Manimaran Siddharth as the impact sub, replacing David Miller. But he could not stop the run flow, going for 16 in his first over.
The first half of the game saw Punjab Kings restricting Lucknow Super Giants to a below-par 171/7.
Abdus Samad and Ayush Badoni struck some lusty blows at the death to give the home side hopes of a competitive total after early setbacks.
The 18th over by Arshdeep Singh was dispatched for 20 but Marco Jansen then delivered a tidy penultimate over that went for just eight.
Arshdeep came back strongly dismissing both Badoni and Samad in the final over, conceding only seven.
Earlier, a 54-run partnership between Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni briefly revived Lucknow Super Giants after they slumped to 35/3.
But Yuzvendra Chahal snuffed out the recovery by having Pooran caught on the long-off boundary by Glenn Maxwell for 44 off 30 balls. LSG were 91/4 at the end of 12 overs, with David Miller the new man in.
Miller looked dangerous, hitting two boundaries off Maxwell on the leg side as a group of people held up letters of the alphabet to form the words 'Killer Miller'.
But his countryman Jansen had him caught behind by keeper Prabhsimran for 19 off 18 balls, to leave the home side at a precarious 119/5 in the 16th over.
Arshdeep had drawn first blood, removing Mitchell Marsh for a duck in the first over. Aiden Markram then struck a few lusty blows before being castled by Lockie Ferguson for 28 off 18 balls.
That brought skipper Rishabh Pant to the crease. Much had been expected from the LSG skipper this season after he became the most expensive player in IPL history in the auction, going for a mammoth Rs 27 crore.
Under pressure after falling for a duck in the first match and making a laboured 15 off 15 balls in the second game, he failed to deliver again, falling to the off spin of Maxwell for just two.
Punjab Kings had won the toss and opted to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
"New ground, new wicket, we need to get an idea of what it will do. The effect of dew will be there later on as well. Lockie comes in,” said PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer.
LSG will be looking to start off their IPL 2025 home campaign with a win, building on the momentum of their recent win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Similarly, PBKS also heads into the match with confidence, following a win against Gujarat Titans in their season opener.
Playing XI
PBKS: Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (C), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh
LSG: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (C, WK), Ayush Badoni, Digvesh Rathi, David Miller, Abdul Samad, Avesh Khan, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi