New Delhi: Rishabh Pant looked visibly shaken as he spoke candidly about the way his team’s batting unravelled, admitting he had “no answers” after a heavy setback in IPL 2026. Rajasthan Royals handed Lucknow Super Giants a 40-run defeat, bowling them out for 119 while chasing a target of 160. Pant’s frustration was clear as he pointed not just to the collapse, but to the lack of adaptation, with the skipper taking accountability for the batting unit’s failure to settle and build innings under pressure.
Speaking after the match, Pant did not look for excuses and instead focused on the disappointment shared by the group. “I don’t have answers. Batting has let us down. We are disappointed as a team, as a group,” he said, underscoring that the blame—if any—had to be owned from within the dressing room rather than pushed elsewhere.
While addressing the mood after the loss, Pant stressed introspection over external factors. He suggested that the team needed to spend more time at the crease and resist the instinct to chase momentum rather than create it. “You have to look for answers inside, not outside. We could have taken some time while batting. No excuses out there. Including myself, we could have taken it deeper. As a batting group, we have to put our hands up,” he added.
Pant also admitted that the pitch was misread to some extent, with movement off the seam and through the air making strokeplay far more complicated than it appeared at the start. Even so, he tried to keep the perspective positive, insisting the squad still had the resources to respond and turn the season around. “We have to look at positives. We have to keep our head high and look for answers inside. We have the firepower to turn the season around,” he said.
Earlier in the contest, Rajasthan’s recovery and control came largely through Ravindra Jadeja, whose unbeaten 43 helped anchor the innings on a surface that demanded patience. With the ball swinging and the seam offering help, Jadeja highlighted the importance of batting deep rather than getting caught up in the early stages. His composed approach enabled Rajasthan to post a total that proved difficult to chase in the second innings.
Rajasthan’s bowling then tightened the screws to complete the result, and skipper Riyan Parag revealed that the team had expected the pitch to offer assistance. He also credited the execution from the bowlers, pointing in particular to the impact of Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger. Parag also spoke about a different kind of challenge, mentioning that the team has stood firmly behind him during a tough period, reinforcing that the squad’s unity extends beyond match days.
