Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant did not begin the IPL 2025 season on a high note, accumulating only 40 runs across six matches before facing the Chennai Super Kings. Nevertheless, the left-handed batsman regained some form, scoring 63 runs off 49 deliveries against the team led by MS Dhoni. Unfortunately, this performance was not enough to secure a victory, as the visitors triumphed by five wickets.

During his innings against CSK, Pant faced 21 dot balls, prompting former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer to make a significant remark regarding the left-hander's batting approach. Jaffer believes that the Lucknow Super Giants captain must improve his ability to rotate the strike.

Pant's performance against CSK was not particularly fluid, as he encountered difficulties in the middle overs, especially against the spinners, notably Noor Ahmad.

Pant entered the match at No. 4 after the dismissal of Nicholas Pooran. At one point, the 27-year-old was on 38 runs from 38 balls, struggling to find his rhythm against Noor Ahmad.

It is noteworthy that among all players in the IPL 2025 season who have faced at least 50 balls, Pant has recorded the lowest dot-ball percentage at 48.48.

While discussing this on ESPNCricinfo's ‘Timeout’, Jaffer commented, "I’m not sure if he actively seeks to rotate the strike. Virat Kohli excels at this; he effortlessly finds ways to get off strike and plays all around the wicket. However, Pant sometimes appears to get stuck, which is a concern. He then resorts to attempting big shots. I believe he needs to enhance his ability to rotate the strike."

He further elaborated, "It seems he rarely aims to hit straight. His focus tends to be on the leg side, targeting square leg or cow corner. He did manage one straight six towards the end, but initially, he was primarily looking to play towards the leg side or attempting that reverse scoop, which was quite limited. Often, teams position fielders in those areas, so I think he should look to access the straight boundaries more frequently."

LSG suffer their third defeat in IPL 2025

LSG experienced their third loss in the IPL 2025 season. With a total of 166 runs, they fell short as CSK successfully chased down the target, finishing with five wickets remaining and three balls to spare. An unbroken partnership of 57 runs for the sixth wicket between MS Dhoni and Shivam Dube secured the victory for CSK at the Ekana Stadium.

Ravi Bishnoi did not bowl his full quota of four overs, and the choice to keep him off the field while MS Dhoni was batting raised some questions. Given that the former Indian captain is perceived to struggle against spin bowling, the decision to withhold Bishnoi was met with criticism from cricket analysts and fans alike.

This defeat marks LSG's third in the current IPL 2025 campaign. Under the leadership of Rishabh Pant, the team now occupies fourth place in the standings, having accumulated 8 points from 7 matches.

The Lucknow Super Giants are set to face the Rajasthan Royals next on Saturday, April 19.

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