Rishabh Pant throws open challenge to high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad in their own backyard

The prospect of facing Sunrisers Hyderabad might be scary for most players, but not for Rishabh Pant. While SRH have just blown most of the teams away with their ultra-aggressive batting approach since last season, Rishabh Pant did not shy away from throwing an open challenge to the Hyderabad-based outfit.

The Lucknow Super Giants skipper made the bold comments at the toss before his team's game against SRH at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday (March 27). SRH have been scoring runs for fun since last season.

They have started the ongoing season in the same fashion. In their first game of the season, they faced Rajasthan Royals and posted a huge total of 286/6, just one run short of the highest-ever IPL score which was also scored by them last season. They went on to beat Rajasthan Royals by 42 runs to start their season in a thumping fashion.

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Unlike SRH, Rishabh Pant-led LSG began their campaign with a heartbreaking loss. After scoring 209/8, they had reduced Delhi Capitals to 65/5. However, a stunning fifty from Ashutosh Sharma powered DC to a miraculous victory.

LSG could not have asked for a tougher opponent than SRH as they look to open their account this season but their captain Rishabh Pant sounded very confident. Speaking at the toss, the wicketkeeper-batsman stated that his team is ready to chase down any total against SRH.

"I think we got to get them out early and look to chase the target. It depends on the team combination, that's why we want to bowl first. We have the batting to chase it down," Pant said after winning the toss.

Meanwhile, LSG have made a stunning start with the ball in their ongoing game against SRH. In the third over of the innings, Shardul Thakur dismissed Abhishek Sharma and last match's centurion Ishan Kishan on successive deliveries to put his team in the driver's seat.

Rishabh Pant seeks redemption:

Rishabh Pant will not only be looking to guide LSG to a win but will also be keen to lead from the front. He had a disastrous outing in his first-ever match as LSG's captain. He first failed to deliver with the bat, getting out for a duck.

In the final over of the game, he got an easy chance to stump Mohit Sharma and take his team over the finishing line but made a mess of it. The former DC captain would be hoping to enjoy a better outing against SRH.