Disappointed but not deflated, Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant is still dreaming of sneaking into the IPL playoffs as he believes his struggling side can turn things around in the remaining three games. Another poor batting effort by the top order led LSG’s 37-run defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings on Sunday.
LSG have 10 points from 11 games and are currently placed seventh in the league table. With a net run-rate of -0.47, merely winning three games might not be enough for Pant and his men to make it to the play-offs.
“The dream is still alive. If we can win the next three matches, we can definitely turn around and do amazing things,” Pant said at the post match presentation ceremony. He did concede that 236 was too much to chase and fielding was also below par. “Definitely too many runs. When you drop crucial catches at the wrong time, it can hurt you badly. We thought it would do more, but we did not pick the length right at the start. But that is part and parcel of the game,” he said.
While Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran have failed in the past few games, the skipper defended them.
“It makes sense when your top order is batting well. Every match, you cannot hope for them to come off. It is part of the game, we have to take it deep sometimes. We had too many runs to catch up on and that hurt us badly.”
Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer was expectedly “elated”. “Everyone stepped up at the right time, contribution was immense from everyone,” Iyer said after the match, especially praising Prabhsimran Singh for his 48-ball 91.
“The way he performed, it was exceptional and so pleasing to the eye,” he said.
Iyer believes that luck favours the brave and that is precisely what has happened with PBKS this season as they climbed to the second spot in the 10-team league table. “I was not thinking about stats or what is a good score to defend. We have been lucky, but the luck has been because of the hard work. Each and every individual knows their roles precisely and the way they executed, it was top-notch.”
Iyer, however, wasn’t fully happy with his team’s fielding effort. “The only thing we need to correct is the awareness (in the field) and the way we move — that is the only box we have to tick off.
“Just back yourselves and your instincts - that has been working for us, not think too much about stats.”
