Rishabh Pant reflects on Lucknow Super Giants' loss against Punjab Kings, says 'The dream is still alive'

Rishabh Pant, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain didn't hold back in assessing the team's recent defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday (May 4). After failing to chase a massive total, Pant reflected on errors in execution and strategy. However, Pant remains optimistic about a turnaround and their road going forward in the tournament.

PBKS vs LSG match

Coming to bat first after losing the toss, Punjab Kings batters looked unstoppable and posted a score of 236/5 after 20 overs. Opener Prabhsimran Singh smashed 91 off 48 balls at a strike rate of 189.58 to lay a foundation for the team. Josh Inglis (30 off 14 balls), Shreyas Iyer (45 off 25 balls) and Shashank Singh (33 off 15 balls) also added significant runs to the total.

Lucknow Super Giants' batting line-up struggled from the beginning as they lost three wickets in the powerplay. Rishabh Pant too couldn't add a decent score as he was dismissed by scoring 18 off 17 balls. However, Ayush Badoni tried to shift the momentum to LSG's side. He smashed 74 off 40 deliveries before getting dismissed in the last over. The team managed to reach 199/7 after 20 overs and PBKS won by 37 runs.

Costly mistakes in the field

Rishabh Pant spoke about how giving away too many runs in the first innings, allowed PBKS to capitalize. “Definitely too many runs,” Pant admitted after the match. He highlighted fielding errors as a major factor: “When you gonna drop crucial catches at the wrong time, it is going to hurt you badly.” Pant’s frustration was evident, but he acknowledged such errors as “part and parcel of the game.”

Misreading the Pitch

LSG’s bowling unit also struggled early on, failing to adapt to the conditions. “We thought it was going to do more. We didn’t pick the length right at the start,” Pant reflected.

Dependency on the top-order

Another concern for LSG is their dependency on the top order to add big scores. “It makes sense when your top order is batting really well. Every match you can’t hope they will come off nicely," he expressed.

Keeping the dream alive

Despite the defeat, Pant seemed optimistic about their future in the remaining tournament and said, “The dream is still alive. If we are going to win the next three matches, we definitely can turn it around.”

LSG on the Points Table

Lucknow Super Giants are seventh in the Points table with 5 wins from the 11 matches. They have 10 points and an NRR of -0.469.

LSG's way to Playoff qualification

LSG have three matches remaining and 10 points on the board. If they win all the remaining games, then the maximum they can get is 16 points. With as many as six other teams having chances to bag 16 or more points, the only way for LSG to make it to the top four is by winning their remaining games, and that too with a huge margin in order to increase their current NRR.