Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant didn’t mince words after his side suffered another defeat, falling to Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday. Chasing 160 on a difficult surface, LSG collapsed to 119 all out in 18 overs, with the game slipping away during the Powerplay. Ayush Badoni, Pant himself, and Aiden Markram all departed for ducks, and the batting unit never managed to regain momentum. For LSG—now on a four-match losing streak—the captain pointed directly at the batting display, saying the effort from the bowlers had not been matched at the other end.
“It is difficult to explain. Our batting is letting us down. We have to look for answers within. We could have taken more time, but I’m not making excuses. Our bowlers did a fantastic job,” Pant said after the match. Even with the disappointment still fresh, he sounded determined rather than defeated. “We know we have the firepower and we want to believe in it,” he added, hinting that the team’s confidence will not evaporate despite the recent results.
The post-match interaction also brought a rare moment of lightness. When Simon Doull wrapped up the chat, Pant joked, “Thank you for being soft,” leaving the former New Zealand pacer smiling as the presentation ended.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals set the target after LSG chose to bowl. Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, and Mohsin Khan each struck twice, keeping the Royals under control and restricting them to 159 for 6. Ravindra Jadeja was the key batter for RR, finishing unbeaten on 43 off 29 deliveries and anchoring the innings when boundaries were hard to come by.
In response, Mitchell Marsh carried the chase with a well-paced 55 from 41 balls, but his effort was not enough to lift LSG out of trouble. Nicholas Pooran and Himmat Singh fell to shots that lacked composure, and the innings continued to unravel as wickets piled up at regular intervals.
As the chase progressed, the pressure eventually landed on Mukul Choudhary, who is still finding his footing and has not yet fully handled the kind of short-ball challenge that can cut into a batter’s rhythm once it grips off the surface. The decision to deploy Himmat Singh as an “Impact Sub” also drew scrutiny, with the batter—despite nearly a decade in domestic cricket—posting a career strike rate of 135 and averaging below six per game.
With this loss, LSG’s struggles at the Ekana Cricket Stadium continued, as they remain winless at home this season. The defeat not only extended their losing run but also underlined how hard it has been for the franchise to turn promising starts into results in front of their home crowd.
