Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Rishabh Pant has come under the scanner after his side’s one-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2025 on Monday. After posting a huge target of 210 runs, LSG did well to reduce DC to 65/5 at one stage. However, a coming of the ages knock by Ashutosh Sharma led DC to a thrilling win over LSG. Pant missed a stumping chance to dismiss tail-ender Mohit Sharma in the final over with DC needing six from as many balls.
Mohit gave a single to the well-set Ashutosh, who finished the job with a straight six on the third ball of the final over of the match.
Former India cricketers Amit Mishra and Virender Sehwag had contrasting takes on Pant’s captaincy on his LSG debut.
Former LSG spinner Mishra suggested that injuries to as many as four fast bowlers — Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan and Akash Deep — was a big factor behind the team’s loss against DC.
“Definitely, they were lacking some balance. If you see, experienced bowlers like Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan were missing. Avesh’s absence was a big miss as LSG paid so much money to get him back at the auction. For DC, Starc timely dismissed Pooran to stop the flow of runs. Similarly, had Avesh been there, LSG too could’ve won the match with an over or two to spare. So, that’s why experience of your players matter as they have the ability to deliver in such pressure situations,” Mishra said during a discussion on Cricbuzz.
Sehwag, on the other hand, put the blame of Pant, saying that the former DC captain allowed the game to slip away from LSG’s palms.
“I feel that if Avesh was there, LSG might have not picked two wickets in the first over as Shardul Thakur wouldn’t have bowled the first over. Avesh would’ve bowled. So, we can also say that DC would’ve have won the game with an over or two to spare. So, whatever happens happens for the good. However, LSG allowed the game slip away. Instead of thinking of players who were not there, the ones who were playing should’ve focused on how can they win the game. That was Rishabh Pant’s job. How to control the game, slow the game and bring the right bowlers at the right time. I think he missed a trick there,” he added.
