Rishabh Pant had spoken about the need for a “break” after Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) lost – then their fifth in a row – against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). When they returned after a week against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Monday, for a brief, blazing phase, it seemed to have worked.
Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis set the tone with the bat, and when Inglis fell, Nicholas Pooran, batting at No. 3 for the first time this season, unleashed a stunning 21-ball 63 studded with eight sixes, powering LSG to 90 for 1 in the powerplay and raising hopes of a 250-plus total.
But as has often been the case for LSG this season, the momentum didn’t last. Corbin Bosch struck twice in the ninth over to remove set batters Marsh and Pooran. Pant, after getting a life first ball when reviews confirmed his edge had fallen short of Ryan Rickelton behind the stumps, briefly threatened with trademark hits – a towering six followed by an audacious falling scoop – but he was out for 15 off ten, another brief stay in a season where he has not really hit his mark.
Pant has been a part of LSG’s broader batting problem this season. His 204 runs in nine innings have come at a strike rate of 128.30, and even his highest score – an unbeaten 68 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – was scratchy for most parts. He has shown flashes of what he can do, like in the steep 255 chase against Punjab Kings (PBKS), when he struck four sixes, including two one-handed blows. But even there, his innings stalled at a crucial phase before he eventually fell for 43 off 23. Similarly, against KKR in a modest chase where he made 42 off 38 without ever truly accelerating, LSG slipped from 78 for 3 to 148 for 8 and went on to lose in the Super Over.
It has been an extension of his form from last season, where he finished with 269 runs in 14 games, 118 of those coming in a dead rubber, numbers that underline his inconsistency. Since the start of 2024, he has averaged 24.89 at a strike rate of 131.02 across 22 innings. This season, he has batted in three different positions – opener, No. 3, and now No. 4 – while Pooran, who thrived at No. 3 last year, has been restored to that role only now, finally, after nine games, with LSG stuck at the bottom of the table.
LSG head coach Justin Langer, however, played down concerns around Pant’s form, pointing to his rhythm during training in the lead-up to this match.
“It’s funny, we played a practice game here two days ago, and Rishy, I think, got maybe 95 off 40 balls or 30 balls or something, and you’re just looking at that game and going, ‘oh my god, that’s Rishabh Pant at his very best’,” Langer said. “He’s a very good player, we know that. We’ve seen in Test cricket destroy teams at No. 5, and we felt today with that, and the way he played just two days ago, after we had a seven-day break, we thought that might be a good option for the team.
“He selflessly moved down the order to move, to let Nicky P back. So, Rishy’s not far off [from a big score]. He’s great. As a captain in the IPL, as a coach, you keep fronting up, don’t you? That’s all you can do. And you’ll keep fronting up, and hopefully, he’ll help us get some wins over the next few games.”
Pant’s returns as a batter and captain have continued to invite scrutiny, with questions about the big price tag, the expectations, the leadership, and whether the weight of all that is telling.
“I don’t think money has to do anything with it,” Langer said. “Leadership is a tough position, and you’re carrying lots of pressure, and he knows that he’s carrying a lot of pressure for the team, and he does it, like all of us, with a smile on our face, 98% of the time. It’s the 2% that’s hard, to be honest. But he’s chipping away, he’s working hard, and he’s had a match-winning game earlier in the season. I love it when we see him smiling and playing that swashbuckling style of play.”
But LSG’s woes can’t just be put down to Pant’s form. Their batters have collectively underperformed, with none of their batters among the top 20 run-scorers this season, while their overall strike rate of 132.86 is the poorest among all teams. Even in this game, after racing to a dominant position, they lost direction. Following Pant’s dismissal, Aiden Markram, along with Akshat Raghuwanshi and Himmat Singh, found it increasingly difficult to maintain the tempo as MI tightened things, with the run rate gradually plummeting from 14.10 after the ten over to 11.40 after 20 – only 87 came in the last ten overs.
There were chances for them to regain control. In the 14th over, Jasprit Bumrah induced an edge off Markram only to be undone by a no-ball, and followed it up with a wide and another overstep, seemingly losing his rhythm. Amid the chaos, Markram survived a mistimed hit, while Himmat scrambled a single at the end, with Bumrah ending up conceding just seven runs in a nine-ball over. They were not even able to capitalise on extra lives and error-strewn passages from MI.
“Definitely the way we started, we should have definitely got more runs but [there were] some good signs and the boys played well, but they [MI] bowled well because they are used to these conditions,” Pant told the broadcasters after the match. “We were short by 10-15 runs – it was a 220-230 wicket for sure [they scored 228]. The way we started we had an edge over them. On a wicket like this, you can’t blame bowlers, they’ve been doing a fantastic job for us.”
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Sanjay Bangar on MI using spin against Pooran in the powerplay
Sanjay Bangar and Veda Krishnamurthy on MI bowling two overs of spin against Nicholas Pooran in the powerplay
Markram and Himmat threatened to revive the innings with a few sixes, but it was quickly quelled by a disciplined spell from Bumrah and Deepak Chahar, who consistently hit their yorkers and denied the batters any release at the death. From a position where they were set for a 250-plus score, LSG had to settle for 228 – yes, “settle”, because it proved not nearly enough on a belter, MI crossed it with eight balls left. A performance reflective of a batting unit that promises much on occasion but continues to fall short of potential.
“We went in with a real mindset to up our intent, and we did that really well today,” Langer said. “We just lost a couple of wickets in the middle, which just dragged us. I thought Bumrah and Chahar’s last two overs [13 runs conceded] were outstanding overs. We sometimes give credit to the opposition. Chahar’s last over was absolutely magnificent.”
Beyond Pooran’s brilliance in this game, LSG have barely had standout contributions this season, the exception being Mukul Choudhary’s 54* off 27 in a chase against KKR, one of their two wins. Notably, Mukul did not feature in this game and was not even part of their impact players’ list.
For a side that had hoped a break would reset their campaign, this was instead another reminder of familiar problems. There were moments of brilliance but collective execution and consistent runs from the top-order batters – Pant among them – remain elusive, which has left LSG edging closer to a point of no return.
