Rishabh Pant finished his post-match remarks with a blunt message after Lucknow Super Giants suffered their ninth defeat in 13 IPL 2026 games. With the top-four race already out of reach, the franchise is now sitting at the foot of the standings and must still play one last match to close out the season. Despite the grim situation, Pant insisted the group remains capable of winning.
When asked about Saturday’s encounter versus Punjab Kings, Pant framed his response around team belief. He said they are proud of how they operate as a unit no matter what the table says, adding that both the team and individuals know they can chase down wins. He acknowledged that things have not gone their way, but stressed that it does not change the underlying quality of the side.
Quick facts: LSG’s slump and the pressure points
- Lucknow Super Giants have lost nine times in 13 IPL 2026 matches.
- They are out of playoff contention and currently sit at the bottom of the table.
- Pant has made seven scores of 20 or under across 12 innings.
- Nicholas Pooran has also struggled to find form.
- Mitchell Marsh, after a century on Tuesday, followed up with 96 but had a slow start earlier in the season.
- LSG’s batting issues have been compounded by middle-order underperformance, admitted by team director Tom Moody.
LSG’s most persistent concern has been their batting, with Pant himself enduring a difficult stretch. Across 12 innings, he has produced seven scores of 20 or less, underlining how hard it has been to build momentum at key moments. The same trend has been visible around him, with Nicholas Pooran also failing to consistently impact games.
Mitchell Marsh’s recent form offered a glimpse of relief: after scoring a hundred on Tuesday, he backed it up with a 96. Still, the broader story for LSG this season has been that even established names took time to get going, and the team’s overall output has often fallen short.
Tom Moody, the franchise’s director, pointed to the middle order as a major culprit. He said that underperformance in that area has played a significant role in why LSG have continued to find themselves languishing in the lower half of the points table, game after game.
Rajasthan chase pressure and LSG’s tactical constraints
Against Rajasthan Royals, the batting side of the equation looked steadier for Lucknow, but the bowling end came under heavy strain. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck at a rapid pace, making 93 off 38 balls, while Yashasvi Jaiswal added 43 off 23. In response to a target of 221, the Royals’ openers carved out 75 runs in just 39 deliveries, taking the match away from LSG’s control early.
Pant addressed those circumstances by explaining the challenges of bowling on certain surfaces. He said that when the pitch is flat, the margin for bowlers becomes smaller, and piling on too many different suggestions can be counterproductive. Instead, he argued, the key is to stick to a straightforward plan and focus on executing one ball at a time.
He also connected the flow of the match to LSG’s bowling options. With Sooryavanshi batting through to the 14th over and scoring quickly, Pant said it limited their ability to use left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed. Ahmed only got his turn for the final over, and that was when Rajasthan still needed two runs to win.
Pant further clarified the thinking behind that decision, pointing to the match-up and the availability of another bowler in the XI. He said he did not want to expose a left-arm spinner because Digvesh Rathi (listed figures: 4-0-38-0) was already in the side. In his words, it was simply a case of why take a risk with Shabby when the team had Rathi available to deliver the overs.
