IPL 2025: “Powerplay Bowling Still a Concern”: Rishabh Pant Reflects on LSG’s Narrow Loss to CSK

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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.