Rishabh Pant, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants, elaborated on his choice to bat at No. 7 following his team's eight-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match held at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Pant's decision to bat lower in the order took many by surprise, including former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, who expressed his astonishment. Players such as Abdul Samad, David Miller, and Ayush Badoni batted before Pant, who was seen with a bandaged hand, leading fans to speculate about a potential injury. Ultimately, Pant faced only two deliveries before being dismissed without scoring.

When Samad batted at No. 4 ahead of Pant, Watson remarked during the commentary, 'I am astonished, perplexed, and at a loss for words. I cannot comprehend why Rishabh Pant is not batting here.' Following Delhi Capitals' comfortable eight-wicket victory, Pant was questioned about his decision to bat in the final over. In response, he stated, 'The intention was to capitalize; we sent someone in to take advantage of the wicket.

After that, Miller came in, and we found ourselves struggling on the pitch, but ultimately, these are aspects we need to analyze and work towards identifying our optimal combination moving forward.

When will Mayank Yadav play?

For Following two consecutive matches, the Lucknow Super Giants have included pacer Mayank Yadav in their roster, although he has yet to be called upon to bowl.

The fast bowler joined the team prior to the match against the Rajasthan Royals after receiving clearance from the National Cricket Academy. Rishabh Pant explained that the choice to utilize Ayush Badoni as an impact substitute was intended to allow Mayank some time to acclimate, as he only joined the squad last week. 'Certainly, that is one reason we are utilizing Ayush to provide Mayank with some game time, as we are attempting to integrate him early in the season, given that we are already halfway through, and he has just arrived from the NCA,' Pant stated. In the match between the Lucknow Super Giants and the Delhi Capitals, the latter won the toss and chose to bowl first.

LSG scored 159 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their twenty overs, with Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh contributing 52 and 45 runs, respectively. The Delhi Capitals successfully chased down the target in the 18th over, winning by eight wickets with 13 balls remaining. 'We recognized that we were approximately 20 runs short.

The toss was significant because the team bowling first receives considerable assistance from the pitch, and we needed to remain composed and engaged in the match for a longer duration, but we were unable to do so,' Pant remarked. 'It is a common occurrence in Lucknow that the pitch improves for batting in the second innings, but that is the nature of the game. We cannot complain. The toss plays a crucial role here, but as a team, we are not seeking excuses; we are focused on learning from this experience,' he concluded.

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