IPL 2025: Lance Klusner Admits LSG Fell Short With the Bat, Vows to ‘Mix and Match’ Bowling Attack Until Full Strength Returns

Despite power-packed knocks from Marsh and Pooran, Lucknow’s collapse and an inexperienced bowling attack handed Delhi a thrilling win powered by Ashutosh Sharma’s heroics.

Visakhapatnam, March 25: After a nerve-wracking one-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals (DC) in a high-scoring thriller, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) assistant coach Lance Klusner reflected on the team’s performance, citing missed runs and limited bowling options as key areas of concern.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Klusner acknowledged that despite brilliant half-centuries from Mitchell Marsh (72 off 36) and Nicholas Pooran (75 off 30), the team failed to capitalize fully on their strong position.

“We left some runs out there tonight. We need bigger partnerships. That’s the biggest lesson from this game,” said Klusner. “Nice to see youngsters getting opportunities and standing up in big moments, but there’s still work to do.”

LSG were cruising at 161/3 in 13.4 overs, but a sudden collapse, triggered by Kuldeep Yadav and Mitchell Starc, saw them slump to 194/8, losing key batters like Pooran, Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni, and Shardul Thakur for single-digit scores.

Another challenge was the absence of key pace bowlers including Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, and Akash Deep. LSG fielded only two frontline seamers—Shardul Thakur and debutant Prince Yadav—and relied heavily on a four-pronged spin attack.

“We just don’t have a lot of reserves with the ball right now,” Klusner explained. “We’ll have to mix and match until our key players are back. We bowled well in patches but lacked consistency.”

Despite the loss, Klusner praised Shardul for his impactful opening spell and acknowledged the challenge posed by Ashutosh Sharma (66 off 31)* and Vipraj Nigam (39 off 15), who stitched together a match-turning partnership.

“That partnership put us under pressure. Batting second with a bit of moisture always keeps you in the game, and DC showed that,” Klusner noted.

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Match Summary: After choosing to bowl first, DC were punished early by Marsh and Pooran, whose aggressive strokeplay helped LSG post 209/8. A late collapse saw them miss out on a potentially bigger total.
Kuldeep Yadav (2/20) and Mitchell Starc (3/42) played key roles in DC’s fightback.

In reply, Delhi stumbled to 65/5, before Ashutosh stitched crucial stands with Tristan Stubbs (34 off 22) and Vipraj Nigam, eventually sealing the game with three balls and one wicket remaining.

Shardul Thakur, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, and Ravi Bishnoi claimed two wickets each for LSG.

Ashutosh Sharma was named Player of the Match for his fearless knock that shattered all odds.