Following Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) defeat to Delhi Capitals (DC) in their IPL 2025 opener, team owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen in conversation with captain Rishabh Pant. Goenka, who made a record-breaking Rs 27 crore bid for Pant in the mega auction, also held discussions with head coach Justin Langer. While the exchange was not as intense as his 2024 confrontation with KL Rahul, which many believe led to Rahul’s departure from LSG, it served as a reminder that Pant needs to step up.
LSG had DC struggling at 113 for six in pursuit of 210 but failed to close out the match. Ashutosh Sharma delivered a match-winning performance under pressure, scoring 66* off 31 balls to seal the victory with three balls remaining in Visakhapatnam.
Pant’s first outing as LSG captain and player was far from ideal. Dismissed for a six-ball duck by his former DC teammate Kuldeep Yadav, he was unable to make an impact with the bat in a high-scoring match where over 420 runs were amassed, and five players maintained strike rates above 200. His leadership decisions were also questioned, particularly his bowling changes in the closing overs.
Despite Shardul Thakur picking up two wickets in his first over, he was surprisingly underutilized, bowling only two overs in total. Instead, Pant handed the ball to the inexperienced Prince Yadav in the penultimate over, a move that backfired as Prince conceded 16 runs, including two fours and a six.
Pant also opted for left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed to bowl the final over with just a run-a-ball required. Notably, Shardul, who has successfully closed out crucial last-over finishes for India, was overlooked. A crucial moment unfolded when DC No. 11 Mohit Sharma was beaten by a sharp delivery from Shahbaz. Had Pant collected the ball cleanly for a stumping, LSG could have had a chance, but the ball deviated after striking Mohit’s back pad, eluding Pant’s gloves.
Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Pant stated during the post-match presentation, “Definitely luck plays a part in this game and if it could have missed his (Mohit Sharma’s) pads, it was a chance for stumping. But these things happen in the game of cricket, you can’t focus on these things, but rather you need to play better cricket.”
With the defeat and Pant’s underwhelming performance behind the stumps and with the bat, pressure is mounting on the star player. LSG will need to address these concerns quickly as they look to bounce back in the tournament.
Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
