Former South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock has taken Rishabh Pant to task for comments he made as the Lucknow Super Giants spiralled after yet another defeat, saying the LSG skipper was effectively “throwing the management under the bus”. Pollock’s criticism followed Pant’s claim that the dressing room was being influenced by too many voices, making decisions harder for the captain.
LSG’s slide and the ekana thriller vs KKR
Lucknow’s latest setback has left them stranded at the bottom of the points table, coming on the back of a fifth consecutive loss in the ongoing season and a sixth defeat in total overall. The most recent game, played at the Ekana Stadium on Sunday, delivered plenty of drama despite ending in a rapid turnaround.
Mohammed Shami produced a stunning finish for LSG, smashing a last-ball six to drag the contest level against Kolkata Knight Riders and force a Super Over. However, the tie-break did not last long: Sunil Narine struck twice within his opening three deliveries, and Rinku Singh then wrapped things up by hitting a boundary off the first ball of the Super Over to seal the result.
Pant’s explanation on bowling changes and dugout influence
After the loss, Pant looked closely at his own tactical calls, including the decision to hand Digvesh Rathi a crucial over earlier in the innings. Pant’s reflection came after Rinku Singh punished that phase of the bowling by striking four sixes in succession.
The LSG captain also admitted that he was receiving an overwhelming amount of information from the dugout, which, in his view, complicated the captaincy process in real time.
- Pant said cricket often allows small adjustments, but bowlers still have to be tasked with those difficult overs.
- He noted that there are moments when he expects his bowlers to bowl in the middle overs in search of a wicket.
- Pant suggested that in that specific period, the intent was to take a breakthrough, but it did not materialise.
- He added that having too many minds involved makes decision-making harder on the ground.
In his remarks to the broadcaster, Pant framed his thinking around the need to push for wickets and explained that the over-by-over plan was tied to the wicket-taking objective. He then connected the challenge of executing plans to the volume of input coming from multiple directions.
LSG set-up and Pollock’s response
Pollock then shifted the focus to what he felt was the optics of Pant’s comments, particularly the message they sent about the leadership group inside the franchise. At present, Lucknow’s management structure includes head coach Justin Langer, Director of Cricket Tom Moody, strategic advisor Kane Williamson, assistant coach Lance Klusener, and bowling coach Bharat Arun.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Pollock argued that Pant’s statements did not reflect well on a captain, implying that the LSG skipper had indirectly criticised the management by suggesting there were too many people feeding him information.
- Pollock said it is “not really good” for such a point to come from the captain.
- He suggested Pant’s comments implied that too many individuals were providing him with information.
- Pollock described it as the captain “throwing the management group under the bus”.
- He added that it may not be clear how the process works internally—such as who has the final call, who sits with the captain, and how discussions take place.
What’s next for Lucknow
With a week to regroup, Lucknow will look to reassess a campaign that has slipped away sharply, even though they still technically remain in the hunt based on mathematical scenarios. Their next assignment is against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on May 4.
