Skipper Rishabh Pant admitted that his team was “20 to 30 runs short” as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) succumbed to a crushing eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday. LSG struggled to keep up with a rampant Punjab outfit that dictated terms in both bowling and batting. Pant’s early dismissal in the power-play summed up LSG’s issues, as PBKS’ tactical brilliance and clinical execution left the home side reeling. Asked to bat first, LSG’s innings never quite found its footing after an early jolt.
LSG’s hopes rested on the experienced shoulders of Pant and Nicholas Pooran, but Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer had other plans. Knowing Pant’s struggle against Glenn Maxwell in the past, Iyer introduced the Australian all-rounder into the attack early, and the move paid off instantly. Maxwell forced Pant into an ill-judged shot, dismissing him cheaply and leaving LSG in further trouble.
“It was not enough, we were 20-25 runs short. That is part and parcel of the game – our first home game, so still assessing the conditions. (On the early wickets, they lost) Definitely. It is always going to be tough (to get to a bigger total) when you lose early wickets. You cannot control everything, but each player is trying to take the game forward. There are a lot of positives, can’t say much,” said Rishabh Pant after the match.
Pooran and Ayush Badoni attempted to revive the innings with a gritty 54-run partnership, with Pooran in particular taking the attack to Punjab. His 44 off 30 balls included five boundaries and two towering sixes, but just as he looked set to unleash further havoc, Yuzvendra Chahal struck, forcing a mistimed shot straight to Maxwell at long-off.
With LSG teetering, Badoni took it upon himself to accelerate. He found an ideal partner in Abdul Samad. Samad’s quickfire 27 off 12 deliveries, peppered with three sixes, gave LSG hope of a competitive total of 171/7.
The chase was always going to be about how well Punjab’s top-order responded, and they did so with complete authority. Despite losing Priyansh Arya early to Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prabhsimran Singh wasted no time in seizing control. He blazed his way to a stunning 69 off just 34 balls, dispatching LSG bowlers to all corners of the ground.
Shreyas Iyer, who had already orchestrated Punjab’s dominance in the field, now took charge with the bat. He played the perfect anchor while also ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking. Nehal Wadhera, introduced as an impact player, turned the chase into a procession with a scintillating 43 off 25 balls. His innings, featuring three boundaries and four massive sixes, left LSG bowlers clueless.
“The idea was to get a slow wicket because we felt it was a home game, it is going to stop a bit. When you were bowling slowly, it was sticking. We were not good enough on the day. We will learn from it and move forward. Definitely lots of positives, early in the tournament, still figuring out a lot of things for the team and hopefully it will come out nicely for us,” concluded Pant.
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