Rishabh Pant reveals the reason behind him coming as finisher vs DC

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant surprised many after batting down the order at No. 7 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 40th match of the IPL 2025 season at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Tuesday, April 24.

At the post-match presentation, Pant stated that the main reason was to capitalize on the start LSG got from the powerplay and initial overs. After Markram, Marsh and Pooran, Abdul Samad was sent in at No. 4. Later, Ayush Badoni and David Miller came into bat before Pant.

“Idea was to capitalize. We sent Samad to capitalize on a wicket like that. After that, Miller came in and we just got stuck at the wicket. Eventually, these are the things we have to figure out and try to find our best combination going forward," Pant stated.

Moreover, Pant stated that the toss played a major factor behind their eight-wicket loss to the LSG. Batting first, Lucknow batters could post only 159/8 in 20 overs. In the chase, DC finished off the game in 17.5 overs with eight wickets in hand.

“In Lucknow, toss played a big part. Whoever is bowling first they get a lot of help from the wicket. We just had to stay back, we just couldn’t get it away. It always happens in Lucknow, in the second innings, the wicket gets better and batter to bat on, that’s how the game goes, and you can’t be complaining. Yes, toss is playing a huge part here, but as a team, we are not looking for excuses," he mentioned.

With this loss, Lucknow Super Giants slipped to the fifth rank with five wins and four losses, picking up 10 points. They will next take on the in-form Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, April 27.

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