"Not thinking about it": Rishabh Pant breaks silence on his poor form in IPL 2025

Rishabh Pant-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) played the 45th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against the Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday, April 27.

Lucknow Super Giants lost the match against the Mumbai Indians by 54 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

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We feel as a team it was the right decision for us - Rishabh Pant

LSG won the toss and chose to bowl first in the match. They didn't have a good outing and allowed Mumbai Indians to register a huge score of 215/7. Mayank Yadav and Avesh Khan picked up two wickets each, while Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rath,i and Ravi Bishnoi got one wicket each.

Chasing the target, only Mitchell Marsh and Ayush Badoni breached the 30-run mark while the rest of the batters failed, resulting in LSG being bowled out for 161.

Speaking after the match, Rishabh Pant defended their decision to bowl first. He said:

"We feel as a team it was the right decision for us (to bowl first), because most of the time we back our batting. Yes bowlers, we want to give the best conditions for them, but today wasn't our day."

Keeping it very simple, not thinking about it too much - Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant credited the Mumbai Indians for playing good cricket and said that they will reflect on where things have been going wrong for them. He stated:

"The other team is playing good cricket, you've got to give credit to them instead of just looking to question yourself. As a team, the dip is there but we can figure it out because we have a break at the right time."

While talking about his poor form, Rishabh Pant said that he is not thinking too much about it. He said:

"Keeping it very simple, not thinking about it too much (talking about his poor run). In a season like this, where things are not going your way, you're going to start questioning yourself as a player - that's not something you want to do. When the team is doing well, you've got to think about that. It's a team game."

"Everytime if you take out the individual, it's not the right thing to do I guess. Definitely it was good to see him coming back from injury. First match, he's getting that rhythm, you can see it. Hopefully he gets better and better next time."

How did LSG perform in the previous IPL match against MI?

Lucknow Super Giants registered a 12-run win over the Mumbai Indians at home on April 4, which was their sixth win in seven games against the five-time champions.

Put in to bat, LSG rode on a brilliant 60 from Mitchell Marsh and an incredible 53 from Aiden Markram as the top-order batters added 91 runs for the opening wicket inside nine overs. Ayush Badoni chipped in with a 19-ball 30, while David Miller added 27 off 14 to push LSG past 200. However, it was Hardik Pandya’s five-wicket haul (5/36) that dented the middle and lower order, as LSG slipped from 158/3 to 203/8 by the end of 20 overs.

With the ball, LSG made early inroads. Akash Deep and Shardul Thakur removed MI openers inside three overs. Though Naman Dhir and Suryakumar Yadav stitched a good partnership, Digvesh Rathi struck at the right time to clean up Dhir.

Avesh Khan turned the game when he dismissed Suryakumar in the 17th over and with 52 needed off 24 balls, LSG bowlers held their nerve to restrict MI to 191/5.