3 player battles to watch out for in LSG vs PBKS, Match 13 of IPL 2025 ft. Nicholas Pooran

The 13th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will see the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) host the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 1 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. This will be Lucknow's first home game of the season.

LSG have played two games so far in IPL 2025, winning one and losing the other. They lost their opening game against the Delhi Capitals by one wicket before thrashing the SunRisers Hyderabad to occupy the third spot in the points table.

Led by wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, LSG will look to continue their winning run and strengthen their position in the top half of the standings.

PBKS, on the other hand, have played only one game so far, in which they defeated the 2022 champions Gujarat Titans. Punjab have had a good one-week break early in the tournament and will be fresh and raring to go in search of their second win.

Meanwhile, the upcoming fixture will present a lot of interesting matchups. We take a look at three head-to-head battles that could define the outcome of the contest tonight.

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#1 Nicholas Pooran vs Yuzvendra Chahal

The West Indian hard-hitter has been in excellent form with the bat so far in IPL 2025. The left-hander is currently the highest scorer with 145 runs from two matches, including two half-centuries.

Nicholas Pooran could be up against veteran leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, which could decide the outcome of the match. Chahal, who was roped in by the Punjab Kings at the auction, has had a poor record against left-handers in recent times, and how he tackles the in-form Pooran will be key.

Chahal, notably, went wicketless in the only game he has played this season so far, returning with figures of 1/34.

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#2 Lockie Ferguson vs Rishabh Pant

The Kiwi speedster didn't play Punjab's first match, but head coach Ricky Ponting would be tempted to bring in Lockie Ferguson, given his excellent record against LSG batters.

Ferguson enjoys a superb record against LSG skipper Rishabh Pant. The right-arm speedster has dismissed Pant three times in 36 balls, conceding only 37 runs in the shortest format. The southpaw, who has had an average start to the competition, will look to fight his demons and score big tonight.

Notably, the New Zealander also has a good record against in-form Nicholas Pooran, getting him out four times in only 20 deliveries and conceding 21 runs in T20s.

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#3 Arshdeep Singh vs Mitchell Marsh

PBKS spent heavy bucks at the mega auction to bring back Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm pacer bowled well in the first match against the Titans, returning with figures of 2/36.

Arshdeep will be up against an in-form Mitchell Marsh inside the powerplay, which could set the tone of the rest of the match. The Aussie all-rounder has had problems tackling the incoming delivery, and the Punjab-born speedster will look to exploit that area. However, Marsh has had the upper hand in the head-to-head meetings in T20Is, hitting him for 14 runs off six deliveries.

Marsh has also been in excellent form this year, smashing two consecutive half-centuries and will look to make it three in a row tonight.