Despite Pant’s valiant half-century, Lucknow Super Giants fall short against Chennai Super Kings; skipper admits lack of partnerships and ineffective powerplay bowling cost them the match
Lucknow, April 15: After Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) five-wicket defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Ekana Stadium, skipper Rishabh Pant pointed out that lack of partnerships and ineffective powerplay bowling played a crucial role in the outcome.
The defeat marked CSK’s comeback after a five-match losing streak, while LSG stumbled to their third loss in seven matches this IPL 2025 season.
“We were 10-15 runs short. We kept losing wickets when the momentum was with us. The wicket was stopping a bit, but I feel we could have pushed for those extra runs,” Pant said in the post-match presentation.
Pant’s Return to Form Not Enough
After a string of underwhelming performances, Pant finally found his rhythm, scoring a well-crafted 63 off 49 balls, featuring four boundaries and as many sixes. He shared a crucial 50-run stand with Mitchell Marsh and later added 53 with Abdul Samad, guiding LSG to a par total of 166/7.
Despite Pant’s effort, CSK’s bowlers were sharp—Ravindra Jadeja (2/24) and Matheesha Pathirana (2/45) applied pressure at key moments.
Powerplay Struggles Persist
Addressing LSG’s struggles with the ball early in the innings, Pant admitted:
“Bowling in the powerplay has been a concern for us, but we are trying to improve. We want to take the positives from each game and build forward.”
Dhoni, Dube Seal It for CSK
Chasing 167, CSK started strong with a 52-run opening stand between debutant Shaikh Rasheed (27 off 19) and Rachin Ravindra (37 off 22). However, a mini-collapse left CSK at 111/5, until Shivam Dube (43 off 37)* and MS Dhoni (26 off 11)* closed the match in style.
Dhoni’s vintage finish earned him the Player of the Match, and CSK secured just their second win in seven games.
While CSK climbed out of a rut, LSG will now need to regroup, especially focusing on powerplay bowling and middle-order stability as the IPL 2025 season progresses.