India, May 23 -- Shreyas Iyer kept Punjab Kings alive in the IPL 2026 playoff race with a maiden IPL century that arrived in the most emphatic way possible, a winning six when only three runs were needed off 13 balls against Lucknow Super Giants.

Punjab had entered the match at the Ekana Stadium with no room left for another slip. Their campaign had been damaged by six straight defeats, and another loss would have pushed them to the edge of elimination. Instead, Iyer produced the innings Punjab desperately needed, staying unbeaten on 101 and taking them to a seven-wicket win in a chase of 197.

LSG had earlier posted 196/6 after Punjab chose to bowl first. Josh Inglis gave Lucknow the main push with 72 off 44 balls, while Ayush Badoni's ...