Match overview
Punjab Kings beat Lucknow Super Giants by 37 runs at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on 4 May 2025. Batting first after Lucknow won the toss and chose to field, Punjab posted 236/5 across their 20 overs. That total was 41 runs above the ground's average first-innings score and proved comfortably beyond Lucknow's reach. P Simran Singh was named Player of the Match. The result moves Punjab to two wins from two against Lucknow in IPL 2025 and levels the all-time head-to-head at three wins apiece from six meetings.
Lucknow's chase fell apart in the powerplay. Three wickets went down for just 38 runs in the first six overs, a platform from which recovery at this level is rare. To their credit, Lucknow's middle-order batters showed some resistance, scoring 105 runs for two wickets in overs seven through fifteen. The death overs produced another 56, but with the required rate climbing well into the 20s by the final stages, the chase was already lost. Lucknow finished on 199/7.
Punjab's innings was built on strength throughout all three phases. Their 66-run powerplay set up a platform, the middle overs yielded 95 runs for just one wicket, and the back end produced 75 more. It was controlled but not cautious batting, exactly what the Dharamsala surface was offering.
Venue and conditions
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala has hosted 35 T20 matches in our records. The average first-innings score sits at 195 and the average second-innings score at 186, suggesting a surface that generally favours batting but without excessive skew towards the side that bats first. The chase success rate is 51%, which means the toss-and-field strategy common here does not automatically translate into wins.
Powerplay conditions at Dharamsala tend to produce around 42 runs on average. Punjab's 66 in the powerplay was well above that, which partly explains the size of their total. The average death-overs output is 40 runs; Punjab's 75 in that phase was almost double the norm and decisive in pushing the score beyond 230. Toss winners here have chosen to field on 77% of occasions, so Lucknow's decision was entirely conventional. On this evening, though, the pitch offered enough early on for Punjab to bat aggressively from the first over.
How to watch
IPL 2025 matches are broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Sky Go and NOW TV both carry the coverage for those without a traditional satellite subscription. Given that IPL matches in India typically start at 19:30 IST, UK viewers can generally catch live coverage from around 14:00–14:30 BST, depending on the match start time. Sky's coverage usually includes pre-match analysis and post-match reaction.
Recent form
Punjab Kings arrive in solid condition. Their last five results read W, NR, L, W, W, with the loss coming against Royal Challengers Bangalore. They have won three of their four completed matches in IPL 2025 and appear one of the more consistent sides in the competition this season.
Lucknow Super Giants, by contrast, have struggled. Four defeats from their last five outings tell a difficult story. Losses to Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Chennai Super Kings surround a solitary win against Rajasthan Royals and a win versus Gujarat Titans. Their top-order fragility in chases is becoming a pattern, and until they find a way to survive the powerplay with wickets in hand, the middle-order talent further down the order has little room to operate. The sides meet next within the context of a wider IPL 2025 season that still has the playoff picture very much open.
