Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant has pointed to a troubling pattern in the team’s batting form after they suffered a 40-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026, their fifth loss in just seven outings. Pant admitted that explaining the downturn has become difficult, stressing that the batting unit is not delivering often enough, even as the group remains disappointed with the results and searches for answers from within rather than looking elsewhere.
“It’s difficult to put into words,” Pant said after the match. “Yes, our batting is definitely the area letting us down, but at the same time we’re disappointed as a team. Still, you have to keep finding ways. You need to look for solutions inside, not outside—that’s where we are right now.”
The captain also reflected on how the chase might have been handled. In his view, Lucknow should have taken more time at the crease and pushed the innings deeper, while avoiding excuses of any kind. Pant included himself in the assessment and insisted the batting group must take responsibility to back the bowlers.
“We could have taken some time while batting, and we can’t make any excuses out there—everyone including me,” he added. “We could have gone a little deeper because the bowlers did a fantastic job, especially after the last game. As a batting group, we need to step up and finish the job for the bowlers as well.”
Despite the setback, Pant urged the side to keep perspective and maintain confidence in their resources. He said the team has to keep its head up, continue searching for fixes internally, and trust that the squad still has the strength with both bat and ball to reverse their fortunes.
“There’s still plenty we can look at positively,” Pant said. “It’s disappointing for the team, but we have to keep our heads high and look for answers inside. We know we’ve got enough firepower in both bowling and batting, and we can still turn things around. That’s what I believe.”
His remarks came after yet another early collapse in the chase. Lucknow were skittled for 119 while trying to chase 160, and the top order suffered a severe blow: three of the first four batters, including Pant, were dismissed for ducks within the opening three overs, leaving the run chase in chaos from the start.
Earlier in the day, Rajasthan Royals posted 159/6 after choosing to bat on a difficult surface. Ravindra Jadeja anchored the innings with an unbeaten 43 off 29 balls, while the contest tightened further when Lucknow’s chase was disrupted by key wickets. Jadeja also played a major role later, removing Nicholas Pooran to break the momentum Lucknow were hoping to build.
For Lucknow, Mitchell Marsh offered the most resistance with a fighting 55, but the overall batting effort lacked support at critical moments. On the bowling front for Rajasthan, Jofra Archer returned figures of 3/20 and Nandre Burger took 2/27, ensuring the pressure never eased on the chase.
The match swung decisively as Jadeja and Shubham Dubey combined in the late phase to help Rajasthan finish strongly. With the win, the Royals moved up to second place on the table, while Lucknow slipped further down after winning only two of their seven games.
