3 player battles to watch out for in PBKS vs LSG, Match 54 of IPL 2025 ft. Shreyas Iyer

The second game of Sunday's doubleheader will see the Punjab Kings (PBKS) face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in a high-voltage match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala.

PBKS are fourth in the standings with 13 points from 10 games, including six wins and three defeats. Punjab defeated the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their previous encounter and will look to keep the winning run going with the playoff race heating up.

On the other hand, LSG are seventh in the table with 10 points, including five wins and as many defeats. Led by Rishabh Pant, the Super Giants must turn their campaign around to finish in the top four. They have lost their previous two encounters and will be desperate to bounce back.

With two teams desperate to return home with two points, the encounter will present some intriguing matchups. We take a look at three of them.

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#1 Aiden Markram vs Arshdeep Singh

The LSG opener has scored most of the runs for his side at the top in this year's tournament. Aiden Markram has also been in stellar form of late, scoring two half-centuries in his last three outings.

However, the South African will be challenged by PBKS' seamer Arshdeep Singh. Markram has scored only 26 runs off 20 deliveries against Arshdeep while getting out only once in T20s.

With two in-form players going against each other, it will be an interesting matchup inside the powerplay.

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#2 Nicholas Pooran vs Yuzvendra Chahal

The dashing wicketkeeper-batter had an excellent start to the IPL 2025 campaign. However, he has witnessed a dip in form in the last few matches, struggling to convert the starts into big knocks.

Nicholas Pooran will look to return to form and fancy his chances against Yuzvendra Chahal with the ball coming in. The southpaw has scored 52 runs off 36 deliveries in T20s, while Chahal has dismissed him twice, including once in their previous meeting earlier this year.

Both players will look to dominate the middle phase of the game, which will make this duel enjoyable.

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#3 Shreyas Iyer vs Ravi Bishnoi

The PBKS skipper has been in superb form, leading the team from the front. Shreyas Iyer has amassed 360 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 180.90, including four half-centuries.

Iyer will be Punjab's intent merchant in the middle overs, where he might face Ravi Bishnoi. The young leg spinner has had a sedate IPL 2025 campaign but is a match-winner on his day.

The right-handed batter has scored only 27 runs off 22 deliveries at a strike rate of 122.70, and the duel will be interesting to watch out for during the match between PBKS and LSG.