Rishabh Pant-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) emphatically silenced their critics in their second match of the Indian Premier League 2025. LSG showed the hard-hitting SRH who's boss with a crushing five-wicket win in their IPL 2025 clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on March 27. Following the match, LSG captain Rishabh Pant invoked the wisdom of his mentor, MS Dhoni, stating that he was consciously trying to apply the lessons he had learned from the legendary captain.
LSG entered the tournament facing a big setback with their entire contingent of Indian fast bowlers sidelined due to injuries. After suffering a defeat in their opening match of the season against the Delhi Capitals, expectations were low for LSG heading into Thursday's game. Amidst discussions and predictions of potentially record-breaking totals exceeding 300 runs, LSG's bowlers, led by a spirited effort from Shardul Thakur, responded brilliantly, restricting the powerful SRH batting lineup to just 190 runs on what appeared to be a good batting surface at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Rishabh Pant namedrops his mentor MS Dhoni after LSG's 8-wicket win over SRH
LSG then retaliated with a powerful batting display of their own. Riding on blistering innings from Nicholas Pooran, who scored a lightning 26-ball 70, and Mitchell Marsh, who contributed a solid 52, LSG chased down the target in just 16.1 overs. LSG's dominant performance effectively gave SRH a taste of their own aggressive medicine right in their home ground. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Pant revealed his simple yet effective approach, stating that he chose to focus solely on the aspects of the game within his control and consciously disregarded the things that were beyond his influence.
"Big relief, but as a team we talk about the process. It's not about getting too high when you win and not about getting too low when you lose. As a team, we can't focus on uncontrollables; my mentor said focus on controllables, and that is what I did. Good to see the way Prince bowled, and also Thakur was really good," Rishabh Pant said at the post-match presentation.
"I think we just want to give him the freedom. You’ve got to give someone the charge when he is batting well, and he has batted brilliantly for us. The group is coming up nicely; we haven't played our best so far, but happy to get a win," Pant added.
LSG will now face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their next IPL clash on April 1 while SRH will lock horns with Delhi Capitals (DC) on March 30.
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