Rishabh Pant’s personal struggles have compounded issues for LSG this IPL 2025.
Rishabh Pant cut a dejected figure as Lucknow Super Giants shot their IPL 2025 playoff hopes in the foot on Sunday. Facing the Punjab Kings in Dharamsala, LSG slipped to a humiliating 37-run loss, slipping to 7th in the points table. Rishabh Pant himself continued to struggle, but shifted the blame to LSG’s bowling and fielding on Sunday.
Too many runs, dropped catches hurt us badly- Rishabh Pant
After 10 games, Rishabh Pant has tallied just 117 runs, scoring at less than a run a ball. With his side chasing a mammoth 237, Pant once again failed to show up. The 27-year-old managed to score a tedious 17-ball 18, further sliding his team into the mud. Eventually, his side settled for a 37-run loss, thanks to some late heroics from Ayush Badoni.
Pant later addressed the PBKS vs LSG, looking tense and nervous. The LSG skipper looked disheartened and admitted that his side had conceded way too many runs in Dharamsala on Sunday. The 27-year-old pointed to his pacers struggling with Avesh Khan and Mayank Yadav, conceding a combined 117 in 8 overs. Pant admitted that his bowlers did not pick the length early which allowed Punjab Kings to punish the visitors.
LSG were also guilty of some sloppy fielding, with Avesh Khan dropping Josh Inglis earlier. Prabhsimran Singh also received a reprieve from Nicholas Pooran and eventually scored a match winning 91.
Speaking after the game, Rishabh said, “Definitely too many runs. When you drop crucial catches at the wrong time, it can hurt you badly. We thought it would do more, but we did not pick the length right at the start. But that is part and parcel of the game. The dream is still alive. If we can win the next three matches, we can definitely turn around and do amazing things.”
Self-reflection and a change of batting order on the cards?
Lucknow Super Giants have only won 1 of their last 5 games and are now in dire straits. Rishabh Pant and Co need to win all three of their remaining games to stand a chance to qualify for the playoffs. While Pamnt reckons his side and pull together a change in batting order might be possible. Ayush Badoni has been their best batsman in the last few games, while the top order has simply fizzled out.
Rishabh’s own form is a cause of concern and he’s tried opening the batting, playing at 4 and playing the finisher: None of which have clicked. The LSG captain however backed his openers and said him and the others in the middle order need to take the pressure off as well.
“Every match, you cannot hope for them to come off. It is part of the game, we have to take it deep sometimes. We had too many runs to catch up on and that hurt us badly,” Pant added.
LSG now return home to face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who have won all their away games in IPL 2025. They then travel to Ahmedabad to face playoff chasing Gujarat Titans before a season ender against Sunrisers at home.
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