Rishabh Pant’s sharp-reading of the game turned into a major talking point as Lucknow Super Giants edged Royal Challengers Bengaluru by nine runs under the DLS method in IPL 2026 on Thursday night. The win ended LSG’s six-game slide and kept their fading playoff hopes alive, with a decisive moment arriving during a nerve-wracking chase at Lucknow.
Pant’s instructions set up the breakthrough
- With Tim David pushing RCB firmly during the chase, Pant was seen on camera giving animated tactical directions to spinner Shahbaz Ahmed just moments before the breakthrough.
- A viral clip captured Pant urging Shahbaz on how to attack the set batter, signalling that the delivery could be used both in and around the line, with the strategy needing a mix to unsettle David.
- Right after those instructions, the plan was executed immediately when Shahbaz produced a quick, skidding ball outside the off stump.
- David tried to go after the next delivery with another aggressive cut, but the ball didn’t offer the height he needed, and the attempt went wrong.
- Digvesh Singh Rathi surged to take an impressive overhead catch at backward point, sparking celebrations among the LSG camp.
The wicket quickly changed the complexion of the chase. Before that decisive moment, Tim David had already struck Shahbaz for a six and looked comfortable alongside Krunal Pandya, giving RCB renewed belief in the middle phase.
David’s surge and the fall of momentum
David had been in sparkling form, smashing 40 off 17 balls and drilling four fours and three sixes to breathe life into RCB’s chase. However, after the dismissal that followed Pant’s instructions, RCB struggled to maintain their momentum during the closing stages, even as Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd offered late resistance.
With the game slipping away in the death overs, the final over became a nerve test—and Digvesh Singh Rathi stood out again by holding his nerve to help LSG close it out. In the end, Lucknow secured a nine-run victory via DLS, snapping their losing streak and keeping their playoff equation alive for the time being.
