"The runs didn't come from Rishabh Pant's bat once again" - Aakash Chopra on LSG's batting in IPL 2025 loss to PBKS

Former India player Aakash Chopra has expressed disappointment about Rishabh Pant's inability to end his barren run with the bat in the Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) IPL 2025 clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). He noted that the LSG skipper hit an innocuous delivery from Glenn Maxwell straight down Yuzendra Chahal's throat at short fine leg.

Pant managed only two runs off five deliveries as PBKS restricted LSG to 171/7 in Match 13 of IPL 2025 in Lucknow on Tuesday, April 1. The visitors then achieved the target with eight wickets and 22 deliveries to spare to start their campaign in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League with two successive wins.

Reflecting on LSG's batting in a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener noted that Pant's lean run with the bat continued as he fell prey to a poor delivery.

"Abdul Samad, Ayush Badnoi and Nicholas Pooran played decently, and Aiden Markram also played decently for some time, but the runs didn't come from Rishabh Pant's bat once again. It was an ordinary ball. It was a half-tracker. He pulled it and the catch went to Yuzi Chahal's hands behind the wickets," he said (13:40).

While observing that Aiden Markram gave LSG a decent start, Chopra praised Nicholas Pooran for playing a responsible knock.

"Aiden Markram was batting well. He played a few good shots, but then he also got out. After that, Nicholas Pooran is the lone guy. Let's be honest, he is carrying the entire team on his shoulders. He is in that kind of form. The Orange Cap is on his head, and he is batting that well too. He played with an excellent mix of aggression and caution," he elaborated.

Markram scored 28 runs off 18 deliveries with the help of four fours and a six in LSG's IPL 2025 clash against PBKS. Pooran smashed 44 runs off 30 balls, a knock studded with five fours and two maximums.

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"The ball becomes like a puppet" - Aakash Chopra on Yuzendra Chahal's dismissal of Nicholas Pooran in PBKS' IPL 2025 win vs LSG

Yuzvendra Chahal (center) had Nicholas Pooran caught by Glenn Maxwell at long-off. [P/C: iplt20.com]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra praised Yuzendra Chahal for trapping Nicholas Pooran in his web of tricks in the Punjab Kings' IPL 2025 clash against the Lucknow Super Giants.

"He (Pooran) fell prey to Yuzi Chahal in the end. It's an attribute of Yuzi Chahal that he doesn't bowl the ball in one line. He either bowls very wide or towards the legs. He is a maverick. He is a magician. It seems like a string is tied to the ball, that it would go in or out with a string. The ball becomes like a puppet," he said.

While appreciating Ayush Badnoi (41 off 33) and Abdul Samad (27 off 12) for playing decent knocks, the cricketer-turned-commentator noted that LSG were restricted to a below-par total.

"Ayush Badnoi batted well for sure. He hit one or two excellent shots over cover. I think he hit Lockie Ferguson over cover, that was beautiful. Abdul Samad also hit a few sixes, but the runs weren't enough," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra praised Arshdeep Singh (3/43) for dismissing Mitchell Marsh for a golden duck in the first over and finishing with a three-wicket haul. He also appreciated Shreyas Iyer's captaincy, highlighting that the PBKS skipper rotated his bowlers properly.