Rishabh Pant reacts© BCCI
Rishabh Pant‘s second season with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) is not going to plan, with the team stuck at ninth spot in the IPL 2026 points table. He suffered his fifth defeat in seven games on Wednesday, losing to Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 40 runs. However, following the game, former New Zealand cricketer and reputed commentator Simon Doull not only questioned Pant about where it went wrong, but also focused on the positives from the match. This led to a cheeky reaction from Pant.
Pant was one of four LSG players to be dismissed for a duck as the side were bowled out for just 119 in their chase of 160. Ayush Badoni and Aiden Markram also got out for ducks, leaving LSG scrambling at 11/3 early on in their run chase.
However, despite the poor show by their batting, Doull also asked Pant about the positives of the match, highlighting LSG’s bowling department. Mohsin Khan (2/17), Prince Yadav (2/29) and Mohammed Shami (2/30) impressed.
“We still want to look at the positives. We know we have the firepower and we want to believe in it,” Pant said during the post-match chat.
“I know these ones aren’t easy, Rishabh,” Doull said to Pant at the end of the post-match chat.
“Thanks for being soft today,” quipped Pant with a cheeky wink.
It is turning out to be another dismal season for Pant as batter and captain, as he continues to try and justify his Rs 27 crore price tag, which made him the most expensive player in IPL history. Pant has made 147 runs in seven games at a strike-rate of 132.43, with a solitary half-century.
LSG’s problems have been compounded by the poor form of the rest of the batting department. Nicholas Pooran‘s below-par season has been the most glaring aspect, with the Trinidadian star managing just 73 runs in seven matches at a paltry strike-rate of 82.02.
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