After 5th consecutive defeat in IPL, LSG captain Rishabh Pant has accepted the pressure. He told the team needed a break and defended his controversial decisions against KKR. The team is at 10th place in the points table with 2 wins from 8 matches.
Lucknow: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant has broken his silence after suffering the fifth consecutive defeat in the IPL and slipping to the bottom of the points table. He admitted that there is a lot of pressure in the team and in the current situation the players are in dire need of a break. This statement of Pant has come after the defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Some of his decisions taken as captain in this match are being criticized a lot.
Most questions are being raised on two big decisions of Pant during the match. First, to give the last over of Kolkata’s innings to spinner Digvesh Rathi. Pant’s move backfired. Rinku Singh hit four consecutive sixes in that over to take KKR to a fighting score. Pant clarified on this decision and said, “Sometimes bowlers have to bowl difficult overs. We had taken this decision with the intention of taking wickets, but it did not work.”
The second big question was regarding the selection of batting in the super over. Lucknow sent out-of-form Nicholas Pooran in place of in-form Rishabh Pant or Mitch Marsh, which proved costly for the team. Puran was out without scoring any runs and Lucknow team lost by just one run. On this, Pant said, “It was a decision taken as a team. Puran’s name came up in the discussion. He may not be in the best form of his career, but in such difficult situations you have to trust your players. They will bounce back.”
Pant further said, “We really need a break. The team should get a chance to refresh. I think a lot of positive things will happen after the break. We have to find answers not outside, but within ourselves. Every player has to take responsibility. We cannot move ahead relying on just one or two players. It is important to trust the players even in difficult situations.”
Lucknow team is at the tenth or last position in the points table with only 2 wins in 8 matches. Despite frequent changes in the batting order, the team is not getting stability. Lucknow’s next match is against Mumbai Indians on May 4. The team management hopes that the team will be able to overcome its shortcomings in this one week break.