Rishabh Pant was determined to make the most of his good start in the final league match of IPL 2025, and he did just that. His 118* off 61 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) was a standout performance, but despite posting a challenging total of 227/3, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fell short and lost the game. Reflecting on the season, Pant admitted that the team’s lack of consistency was a key reason for their struggles.
We haven’t been able to play 40 overs of good cricket in any game this season,” Pant said after the match. “In T20 cricket, 20 overs just won’t save you, and that’s been our story all along.
Pant, who had struggled with the bat throughout the season, coming into this game with only 151 runs from 12 innings, focused on capitalizing on the good start. “I made sure that if I got off to a good start, I should make it big,” he explained. “I’ve been learning from the best – whenever you get a start, make sure you maximize it.”
He also spoke about his approach in the match, saying he consciously chose to hit the ball straight and through the line, something he had struggled to do earlier in the season. “I kept it simple, looked for gaps, and played with the same intensity every ball,” Pant added.
Despite his brilliant innings, LSG’s bowling attack faltered, with Will O’Rourke and Shahbaz Ahmed conceding 113 runs in just seven overs. Unforced errors in the field and a missed opportunity when Jitesh Sharma was reprieved off a no-ball further contributed to LSG’s downfall. Pant acknowledged that LSG’s lack of consistency in all departments had hurt them.
“We’ve had injury concerns throughout the season, and that definitely affected us,” Pant said. “We’ve had some special bowling performances – Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan, and Akash Singh all bowled crucial overs – but we haven’t been able to sustain that for longer periods. That’s what’s been costing us games.”
LSG finished seventh in the points table with six wins from 14 games. While Pant noted a few positives from the season, he emphasized that inconsistency was the main factor in their failure to capitalize on early opportunities.
