IPL 2025: Pant explains how 'luck' cost LSG against DC
What's the story
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) suffered a narrow one-wicket defeat against Delhi Capitals in the ongoing IPL 2025.
The match swung on a crucial stumping error by LSG captain Rishabh Pant, who was playing his first game for the franchise.
Despite an impressive performance from Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh, Pant's mistake proved costly for his team.
Match details
A missed opportunity turned the match
The game reached a tense climax with Delhi Capitals needing six runs from the final over.
LSG's Shahbaz Ahmed bowled a brilliant delivery, deceiving batter Mohit Sharma who was well outside his crease.
Pant had the chance to effect a stumping but missed it, leading to a DRS review that was denied as the ball had turned too much and thus missed hitting off-stump.
Post-match comments
Pant downplayed the impact of luck
In his post-match comments, Pant blamed "luck" for the incident and stressed that it's a part and parcel of cricket.
He said, "Definitely, luck plays a part in this game... But these things happen in the game of cricket. You can't focus on these things but rather you need to play better cricket."
Team performance
LSG's strong start but failure in death overs
Despite Pant's dismissal for a duck, LSG posted a competitive total of 209/8, courtesy of Pooran (75 off 30) and Marsh (72 off 36).
However, they struggled in the death overs and couldn't defend their score effectively.
Delhi Capitals were reduced to 65/5 in the seventh over but Ashutosh Sharma (66* off 31) and Vipraj Nigam (39 off 15) led a remarkable comeback for DC.
Young talents
Capitals' young stars shine in the chase
The match witnessed young Indian uncapped players Ashutosh and Nigam play crucial roles in Delhi's win.
Their brilliant performances, along with South African star Tristan Stubbs's (34 off 22 balls) contributions, helped DC secure a thrilling one-wicket win.
The victory was significant as it came against Pant's former team, although it was a disappointing outcome for him as the captain of LSG.
Future focus
Pant emphasizes learning and improving
Despite the loss, Pant remains optimistic about his team's future performances. He emphasized the need to learn from every match and improve continuously.
"The more basics we do right, the more it is going to be better for us in the future," he stated.
This attitude reflects his commitment to growth and improvement as a captain and player.