Shaun Pollock feels Rishabh Pant’s remarks after Lucknow Super Giants’ Super Over defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders may have, unintentionally, shifted attention toward the franchise’s decision-making structure. After LSG lost in the tie-breaker, Pant said that too many differing opinions during the contest made it harder to decide quickly on the field.
The game was pushed into a Super Over after Mohammed Shami struck a six off the final ball of LSG’s innings. In the follow-up, Sunil Narine delivered a sharp Super Over for KKR, limiting Lucknow and sealing the win.
At a glance
- Shaun Pollock linked Pant’s post-match comments to the possibility of blame being directed at LSG’s management
- LSG lost to KKR in a Super Over after Shami hit a six on the last ball
- Narine then bowled the Super Over to help KKR win
- Two Pant-led decisions drew criticism: assigning Digvesh Rathi the final over and sending Nicholas Pooran for the Super Over
- Pant also said the team must take collective responsibility and take a short reset
Pollock said the criticism around leadership choices had already been intense, and that Pant’s wording could add fuel. He pointed to the moment when Digvesh Rathi was entrusted with the last over—an over in which Rinku Singh struck four sixes consecutively—and also to the call to bring Nicholas Pooran into the Super Over.
After the match, Pant summed up his view with: “Too many minds don’t make it easy on the ground.” Pollock, however, argued that the captain’s phrasing wasn’t ideal, because it sounded like an indirect reference to the management group rather than focusing purely on cricketing execution.
“It isn’t really good that it is coming from the captain because he is basically saying there are too many people giving me information and he is kind of under the bus-ing the management group that they have got,” Pollock said. He also stressed that it’s difficult for outsiders to fully understand the internal process, including who has the final say and how conversations are handled inside the dressing room.
Pollock added: “Maybe we don’t know how it works; that is the problem. You don’t know who has the final call, you don’t know who sits with him and gives him the understanding of what they feel, or who has the discussions with him.”
Responsibility and reset
Despite the debate over his earlier comments, Pant also spoke about the need for the entire squad to own the outcome. During the post-match presentation, he said LSG requires a short break to reset and handle pressure more effectively before the next challenge.
Pant told the team setup: “I think we definitely need a break. I think we’re gonna refresh. There is always pressure, and it’s gonna be a pressure game always, but at the same time, we have to look for answers inside, not outside. And just keep it simple. We need to take accountability – every guy. Like, it can’t be about one or two guys. It has to be about the whole unit, and a lot of people will take accountability for that for sure.”
