Published: May 05, 2025, 10:34 AM (IST)
Edited: May 05, 2025, 10:34 AM (IST)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant once again failed to perform when his side needed him the most and got dismissed for an underwhelming cameo of 18 runs from 17 deliveries against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday. This saw the Lucknow-based franchise slump to a comprehensive 37-run defeat, putting a major dent in their playoff hopes.
While chasing a humongous target of 237, LSG could only post a total of 199/7 in 20 overs, despite Ayush Badoni’s brilliant knock of 74 runs from 40 deliveries.
LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka, who was present in the stands for the match, summed up his feelings perfectly after Pant failed to regain his form and once again got dismissed for a small score.
Goenka was understandably not pleased to see Pant not performing well when his side needed him the most. The wicket-keeper batter was bought by the franchise for a record fee of INR 27 crore at the 2025 IPL auction last year.
“Definitely too many runs. When you’re gonna drop crucial catches at the wrong time, it is going to hurt you badly. We thought it was going to do more. We didn’t pick the length right at the start. That’s part and parcel of the game. The dream is still alive. If we’re gonna win the next three matches, we definitely can turn it around.
“It makes sense when your top order is batting really well. In every match, you can’t hope they will come off nicely. It’s part of the game. We need to take the game deep. Every time, they can’t do the heavy job for us. Like you said in the first, we had too many to chase. That hurt us badly,” Rishabh Pant said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Following the heavy defeat to PBKS, Pant put the blame on his side’s fielders and labelled them as the reason for the loss.
“Definitely too many runs. When you’re gonna drop crucial catches at the wrong time, it is going to hurt you badly. We thought it was going to do more. We didn’t pick the length right at the start. That’s part and parcel of the game. The dream is still alive. If we’re gonna win the next three matches, we definitely can turn it around,” Pant said at the post-match presentation.
“It makes sense when your top order is batting really well. In every match, you can’t hope they will come off nicely. It’s part of the game. We need to take the game deep. Every time, they can’t do the heavy job for us. Like you said in the first, we had too many to chase. That hurt us badly,” Pant added.
