Pant Reflects on LSG's Close Loss: 'I Believe We Had Put Up Enough Runs'

Pant After Narrow Loss to DC: ‘I Felt We Had Enough on the Board’

Rishabh Pant’s first match as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain in IPL 2025 didn’t go to plan. Dismissed for a six-ball duck, he later watched as his former team, Delhi Capitals, pulled off a dramatic one-wicket win, chasing down 210 thanks to Ashutosh Sharma’s unbeaten 66 off 31 balls.

Despite LSG being 133 for 1 in the 12th over—with Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran in top gear—they managed only 39 runs in the final five overs. But Pant felt the total was competitive.

“I think we had enough runs on the board,” Pant told JioHotstar after the game in Visakhapatnam. “Our batters did a good job. Yes, we may have lost some momentum between overs 13 and 17, but 210 was a pretty solid score on this pitch.”

However, assistant coach Lance Klusener saw things differently. He felt LSG fell short with the bat despite the strong platform.

“If I had to pinpoint something, I'd say we probably left 20 or 30 runs out there,” Klusener said. “That’s what put pressure on us during the bowling. While DC batted well at the end, we should’ve posted a bigger total. The pitch had something for everyone—some spin when the bowlers found their areas.”

Klusener also pointed to LSG's depleted pace attack as a key challenge. Injuries to Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, and Akash Deep left them with just two specialist pacers—Shardul Thakur and debutant Prince Yadav. With Marsh playing only as a batter, the team went with four spinners.

“We’re short on bowling options at the moment,” Klusener admitted. “We’ll have to mix and match until players return. But that also creates opportunities for others. I was really happy for Shardul—two wickets in his first over. It’s great to see someone who’s been with us getting a chance to perform.”

Looking ahead to their next game in Hyderabad, Klusener urged the young players to stay positive and back themselves.

Pant, meanwhile, wasn’t dwelling on missed chances—including a potential game-turning stumping in the final over when DC needed six off six with one wicket in hand.

“Of course, luck plays a part in cricket,” he said. “That could’ve been a big stumping if it missed the pad, but these things happen. Instead of focusing on luck, we should focus on playing better cricket.”

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