Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) [India]: Following Lucknow Super Giants’ 37-run defeat against Punjab Kings in the 54th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, skipper Rishabh Pant addressed the post-match press conference and offered insights into the reasons behind their disappointing performance.
“Definitely too many runs. When you’re gonna drop crucial catches at the wrong time, it is going to hurt you badly. We thought it was going to do more. We didn’t pick the length right at the start. That’s part and parcel of the game. The dream is still alive. If we’re gonna win the next three matches, we definitely can turn it around. It makes sense when your top order is batting really well. In every match, you can’t hope they will come off nicely. It’s part of the game. We need to take the game deep. Every time, they can’t do the heavy job for us. Like you said in the first, we had too many to chase. That hurt us badly,” Pant said after the match.
The only silver lining for LSG in the match was a determined half-century by Ayush Badoni and his resilient 81-run partnership with Abdul Samad. However, a major collapse at the top order derailed their run chase.
Also SEE : IPL 2025: LSG Suffers 37-Run Defeat To PBKS After Top-Order Collapse
The win propelled Punjab Kings to second on the points table with seven victories, three losses, and one no result (15 points). Meanwhile, LSG sits at seventh with five wins and six defeats, stuck at 10 points.
LSG had initially won the toss and chose to bowl first. PBKS capitalized on this decision with aggressive batting displays. Josh Inglis hammered a 14-ball 30, featuring one four and four sixes. The third-wicket stand between Prabhsimran Singh and captain Shreyas Iyer yielded 78 runs. Iyer struck 45 off 25 balls, including five boundaries and two sixes.
Later, Prabhsimran and Shashank Singh added a quickfire 54-run partnership for the fifth wicket, with Shashank remaining unbeaten on 33 off 15 balls (four boundaries and one six). PBKS posted a formidable 236/5 in 20 overs.
Akash Singh and Digvesh Rathi were the pick of the bowlers for LSG, taking two wickets each.
In response, LSG faltered early, slumping to 73/5. The only substantial resistance came through Ayush Badoni (74 off 40, five fours and five sixes) and Abdul Samad (45 off 24, two fours and four sixes), whose 81-run partnership gave LSG a fighting chance. However, they fell short, finishing at 199/7.
PBKS bowlers were disciplined, with Arshdeep Singh leading the way with an outstanding spell of 3/16 in four overs. Azmatullah Omarzai contributed with 2/33, while Marco Jansen and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up a wicket each.
With only three games left in the league stage, LSG’s playoff hopes now rest on winning all of them — a challenge Pant believes they can rise to.