Rishabh Pant, the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants, had some thoughts to share after his team’s five-wicket loss to the Chennai Super Kings. He recognized that they were a bit behind the game, saying they were “10-15 runs short.” Pant himself managed to score a gritty 63 runs off 49 balls, marking his first half-century of the season. Nevertheless, his innings lacked the exciting finish that his team needed to really push their score.
Pant walked to the crease early in the innings after Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran were dismissed quickly during the Powerplay. He aimed to stabilize things and forge some partnerships with Mitchell Marsh and Ayush Badoni. While they did build a decent foundation, the last ten overs didn’t bring the pace that would have helped them put up a strong total. Pant mentioned, “We feel we were 10-15 runs short. We kept losing wickets. Whenever we got some momentum going, we lost a wicket, and we just couldn’t get a decent partnership going. The pitch was good for batting, it was just stopping a bit, but we could have scored ten runs more. I am feeling better about my batting after each game, and I’m starting to find my rhythm.”
A big part of the match shifted during the middle overs where Chennai’s spin bowlers restricted Lucknow’s progress. Ravindra Jadeja played a key role, getting rid of Marsh and later stumping Badoni, marking MS Dhoni’s milestone 200th dismissal as a keeper in the IPL. Noor Ahmad also impressed, particularly with his spell against Pant. The LSG captain managed a mere 6 runs from 15 balls against the left-arm wrist-spinner, which was indicative of Pant’s innings overall—determined but lacking in the impact that was needed.
Even though Pant hit some boundaries off Matheesha Pathirana late in the game, Lucknow ended up with a modest total of 166/7, which surely didn’t feel enough on a pitch that played tricks. Discussing his bowling choices, Pant reflected, “I thought a lot about bringing Bishnoi in earlier, but after talking to other players, we decided to take it deeper into the innings.”
On the other side, 20-year-old Shaik Rasheed, making his IPL debut, opened for Chennai and impressed everyone with a quick 27 off 19 balls. Together with Rachin Ravindra, who cracked 37 runs off 22 balls, they quickly built a 50-run partnership in just over four overs, swinging the momentum in CSK’s favor—even as LSGs spinners tried to pull things back with some key wickets.
Chennai found themselves at 111/5 after 15 overs, needing 56 runs off the last 30 balls. This was a classic scenario for Dhoni to shine. Coming in ahead of Jamie Overton, he rolled back the years with an elegant 26 not out off just 11 balls, which included a stunning one-handed six. Alongside him, Shivam Dube kept the chase steady, but then exploded in the 19th over against Shardul Thakur, scoring 19 runs and leaving them just 4 runs to clinch the victory.
Dube finished his innings unbeaten on 43 off 37, and in a fitting end, it was Dhoni who saw the team through to a win, breaking a five-match losing streak and securing their second win of the season. For Pant and his team, this loss is a moment to learn from, and he summed it up by saying, “I definitely feel better about my batting with every game… I’m getting into my rhythm.”
