Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had a rough home beginning to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, suffering a heavy eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings (PBKS). Following the game, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was spotted having a stern conversation with captain Rishabh Pant. But he later shared a lighter moment with PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer smiling while conversing.
In the last edition, LSG grabbed attention for the wrong reasons when owner Sanjiv Goenka was visibly upset with his team and KL Rahul’s captaincy following a crushing defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which put their playoff hopes at risk.
Sanjiv Goenka started abusing Rishabh Pant in the Dressing Room after losing LSG vs PBKS IPL match again.#SanjivGoenka #RishabhPant #LSGvPBKS #IPL2025 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qlJsiGtyaV
— 🏏 (@Crickaith) April 1, 2025
This is highly unprofessional on the part of LSG’s Sanjeev Goenka that he can’t stop publicly scolding his captain. Last year it was K L Rahul and Rishabh Pant this year. He can do it in the close room so doesn’t have to do damage control by fake smiles & gestures.#LSGvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/O8ZVJ0NOPc
— Ganpat Teli (@gateposts_) April 2, 2025
This season, LSG have had a shaky start losing two of their three games. Their first defeat came in a nail-biting thriller against Rishabh Pant’s former team, Delhi Capitals (DC), where they fell short by just one wicket. Pant missed a crucial stumping in the final over after the ball deflected off Mohit Sharma’s pads allowing Ashutosh Sharma to seal the game in style. However, LSG bounced back in their second match, outplaying SRH to secure a five-wicket win.
Pant, who became the most expensive player in IPL history at ₹27 crore is struggling with the bat. He was dismissed for a six-ball duck in the opening game managed a run-a-ball 15 in the chase against SRH, and in his first home match as LSG captain, he fell for just two runs to Glenn Maxwell.
LSG Captain Criticizes Pitch Conditions After Defeat
On April 1, LSG managed to put up 171/7 on the scoreboard with the assistance of in-form Nicholas Pooran’s 30-ball 44, Ayush Badoni’s 33-ball 41, and Abdul Samad’s quickfire 12-ball 27. LSG secured the early wicket of Priyansh Arya, but fifties from Prabhsimran Singh, skipper Iyer, and impact substitute Nehal Wadhera’s unbeaten 25-ball 43 guided PBKS to victory with 22 balls remaining.
After the loss, Pant lamented not putting enough runs on the board, believing LSG fell 20-25 runs short. He also criticized the pitch curator for failing to prepare a slower surface.
“It (the total) wasn’t sufficient; we fell 20-25 runs short, but that’s part and parcel of the game. Still evaluating the conditions at our home ground. It’s always tough to post a big total when you lose early wickets, but every player is putting in the effort to push the game forward. The plan was to get a slower wicket, and I felt the slower balls were gripping. We need to take lessons from this match and move ahead. There are plenty of positives, so not much to say,” Pant stated during the post-match presentation.
READ ALSO Digvesh Singh Rathi Fined for ‘Notebook’ Celebration as PBKS Dominate LSG
