"Each And Every Player...": Under-Fire Rishabh Pant's Blunt Take On Defeat Against PBKS

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