Rishabh Pant escapes accountability, puts all blame on bowlers after LSG’s humiliating loss to PBKS

Rishabh Pant-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) locked horns with the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 54th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday, May 4.

Lucknow Super Giants lost the match against the Punjab Kings by 37 runs at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.

Also Read: LSG Qualification Scenario: How Lucknow Can Qualify For IPL Playoffs 2025 After PBKS vs LSG

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Definitely too many runs - Rishabh Pant

Opting to bowl first in the match, LSG had a horrible outing as they allowed PBKS to post 236/5 on the board, with Akash Singh (2), Digvesh Rathi (2), and Prince Yadav (1) being among the wickets.

Chasing the target, the Lucknow Super Giants had a poor outing, and they were restricted to 199/7. Ayush Badoni (74 off 40 ) and Abdul Samad (45 off 24) were the only good performers.

Speaking after the match, LSG skipper Rishabh Pant, who scored 17-ball 18, blamed his bowlers for the defeat, saying that they gave away too many runs. Rishabh Pant said:

"Definitely too many runs. When you gonna drop crucial catches at the wrong time, it is going to hurt you badly. We thought it (the pitch) was going to do more."

Every time they can't do the heavy job for us - Rishabh Pant on top order

Rishabh Pant further said that their dream for the playoffs is still alive, and they would do everything possible to achieve it. He also stated that the top order of LSG can't perform well in every match, and others need to step up. Rishabh Pant elaborated:

"We didn't pick the length right at the start. That's part and parcel of the game. The dream is still alive. If we gonna win the next three matches, we definitely can turn it around. It makes sense when your top order is batting really well.

"Every match you can't hope they will come off nicely. It's part of the game. We need to take the game deep. Every time they can't do the heavy job for us. Like you said in the first, we had too many to chase. That hurt us badly."

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

The Lucknow Super Giants had a tough outing at home on April 1, 2025, as they faced an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of the Punjab Kings.

Batting first, Mitchell Marsh fell for a golden duck in the first over, but his partner Aiden Markram (28 off 18) tried to counter-attack to keep the momentum towards LSG.

However, a middle-order collapse saw LSG reduced to 39/3 by the end of the powerplay. Nicholas Pooran (44 off 30) and Ayush Badoni (41 off 33) rebuilt the innings, while Abdul Samad slammed a good 27 off 12 at the death to push LSG to a decent total of 171/7.

However, the LSG bowlers couldn’t back up the batters. Shardul Thakur and Avesh Khan leaked runs as PBKS opener Prabhsimran Singh tore into the bowling attack with a 23-ball fifty, scoring 69 off 34 balls.

Spinner Digvesh Rathi did some damage by picking up two wickets, but Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera batted brilliantly to finish off the game in 16.2 overs.