Rishabh Pant gave a candid response when asked about LSG’s playoff chances following their defeat against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala.
Pant’s Optimism Amidst LSG’s Struggles in Playoff Race
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant gave a candid response when asked about his team’s playoff chances after a 37-run defeat to Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala in IPL 2025. This loss means LSG must win all their remaining matches to stay in contention for a top-four spot. Despite a valiant chase, the Pant-led side was restricted to 199/7 while chasing down 237.
Pant himself had a disappointing outing, scoring just 18 runs off 17 balls. He has accumulated only 128 runs in 11 matches this season, with an average just over 12 and a strike rate below 100.
With three challenging matches left—against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Gujarat Titans, and Sunrisers Hyderabad—LSG has a tough road ahead, but Pant remains hopeful. “The dream is still alive. If we’re going to win the next three matches, I think definitely we’re going to turn around as an amazing team,” Pant said after the loss.
‘We conceded too many runs’
Rishabh Pant won the toss against Punjab Kings and chose to bowl first, but his bowlers let him down as Lucknow Super Giants conceded a massive 236/5 in 20 overs.
Prabhsimran Singh was the standout performer for Punjab Kings, scoring a blistering 91 runs, including 6 fours and 7 sixes. Pant didn’t hold back in blaming his bowlers, noting that they allowed too many runs to slip through.
Pant also acknowledged the pressure on the top order—Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and Aiden Markram—and the need for other batters to step up when they fail to finish the job. “It makes sense when your top order is batting really well. See, every match you can hope for them to come off nicely, but it’s part of the game. We’ve got to take it deep sometimes,” he said.
He added, “Every time they can’t do the heavy job for us… like you said in the starting, that we had too many runs to catch up on, and that hurt us really badly.”
Lucknow Super Giants will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Ekana Cricket Ground in Lucknow on Friday, May 9.