LUCKNOW: Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant revealed the reason why he decided to move lower down the batting order and allow Abdul Samad to capitalize on the solid start by the top order. He also wanted to avoid slowing down his team, given his lean run of form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Pant has not been his usual self in this edition of the tournament with just 106 runs from nine matches at a strike rate of only 96.36.
Usually batting at number four, Pant did not come out to bat until the 20th over against Delhi Capitals, coming in at number six. The home fans were only treated to two deliveries as the left-handed batter was castled for zero on the final ball of the first innings.
Samad walked in to bat in the 12th over when Lucknow were in a solid position at 99/2. However, the move did not work as Samad departed after being caught and bowled by Kumar.
“The idea was to capitalize. We sent Samad to capitalize on a wicket like that. After that, Miller came in, and we just really got stuck in the wicket. Eventually, these are the things we've got to figure out and try to find our best combination going forward, ” said Pant in the post-match interaction.
With new batters in the likes of David Miller and Ayush Badoni at the crease, DC ramped up the pressure and limited the runs with only four boundaries coming in overs 14 to 19 and only conjured 159/6 in their 20 overs.
Pant admitted that at the end of the day his side were a few runs short of a defendable total but also claimed that the toss plays a huge role at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
“We knew we were 20 runs short. In Lucknow, the toss played a big part. Whoever is bowling first gets 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 the batter bats on; that's how the game goes, and you can't complain. Yes, toss is playing a huge part here, but as a team, we are not looking for excuses, ” he added.