Rishabh Pant, batting coach offer contrasting views after LSG's narrow defeat to DC in IPL 2025

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant and batting coach Lance Klusener offered contrasting views about the side's performance with the bat after the heartbreaking loss to Delhi Capitals (DC) in their IPL 2025 opener in Visakhapatnam on March 24. While Pant felt LSG's 209 for 8 in 20 overs was plenty enough, Klusenser believed the side fell short by 20 to 30 runs.

In Pant's first game as LSG skipper, the side got off to a brilliant start with the bat, rampaging to 169 for 3 in the 15th over. However, with the fall of Nicholas Pooran for a 30-ball 75, they fell away and scored only 40 runs in their final 33 deliveries.

Despite being in deep trouble several times at 7/3 and 65/5, DC pulled off a miraculous win by a wicket with three balls to spare.

Reflecting on LSG's loss, Pant said at the post-match presentation (Via ESPN Cricinfo):

"I think we had enough runs on the board. Our batters batted really well. We might have lost momentum in between overs 13-17, but it was a pretty good score on this wicket."

Meanwhile, Klusener offered a different opinion, saying:

"If I have to put a finger on it, I would like to say we've probably left 20 or 30 runs with the bat out there. That was probably why we ended up being under pressure with the ball. I thought they [DC] finished well with the bat, but the reason why we're in that position is because we didn't score enough runs, which we should have."

Pant himself endured a dismal outing on his LSG debut, bagging a six-ball duck and fluffing a couple of crucial opportunities behind the wicket during DC's run-chase.

"We should play good cricket instead of thinking about the luck factor" - Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant admitted that LSG were unlucky in a couple of instances during DC's stunning run-chase but wanted to focus on playing well instead of using the luck factor as an excuse.

With six runs needed off the final over, DC's No.11 Mohit Sharma missed a turning delivery from Shahbaz Ahmed but a tiny deflection off the pad saved him from a stumping. He took a risky single off the next delivery before the Player of the Match, Ashutosh Sharma sealed the deal with a maximum.

"Definitely luck plays a little bit of part in the game for sure. If it would've missed the pad, it would've been a big chance for stumping. But these things happen in cricket. Instead of focusing on these things we should play good cricket instead of thinking about the luck factor," said Pant.

LSG will have to regroup from the tough defeat to face an intimidating SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) outfit in their next outing in Hyderabad on Thursday, March 27.