Injuries dealt the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) a challenging hand during the IPL 2025, hampering their playoff aspirations. Captain Rishabh Pant candidly discussed the impact of these setbacks following LSG’s exit from playoff contention after their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Lucknow on Monday.
During the contest, LSG posted a formidable 205 runs, thanks largely to opening batsmen Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram, who both scored half-centuries. Yet, Pant noted their total might have been “at least 10 short,” as Sunrisers chased it down with ten balls remaining, powered by Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 59 off 20 deliveries.
Pant reflected, “It couldn’t be the best season for us. We were aware of gaps due to injuries at the tournament’s start. Although we chose not to dwell on it, closing those gaps became a challenge.”
LSG suffered from the long-term absence of key bowlers. Left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan missed the season completely, while Mayank Yadav, a key player for LSG, was sidelined for most of the tournament. Despite a brief return, Mayank’s recurring back injury hindered his performance. Other crucial bowlers like Avesh Khan and Akash Deep battled fitness issues, joining the squad only halfway through the season.
Pant explained, “The way we planned the auction, if we had the same bowling [attack], the story would be different. But this is cricket; sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t. We must take pride in our efforts and focus on the positives.”
Reflecting on the positives, Pant highlighted the strong batting line-up, saying, “there’s enough firepower in the batting.” He acknowledged that while the bowlers occasionally showed promise by bowling in good areas, consistency was lacking.
“We’ve been playing well in patches,” Pant noted. “In the first half, players performed admirably as we tried to address our challenges, but the second half proved tougher.”
Despite these trials, there was a silver lining for LSG in the form of rookie legspinner Digvesh Rathi. The 25-year-old from Delhi made an impressive debut season in the IPL, taking 14 wickets in 12 matches with an economy rate of 8.08. Against SRH on Monday, Rathi was LSG’s standout bowler, securing two wickets for 37 runs.
Pant praised Rathi’s performance, stating, “Definitely the bowler Rathi has come up nicely for us this season. The way he has bowled was really good to see. Rathi is one of the positives. As a team, we need to keep improving in different areas to find ourselves getting better and better.”
This reflection on the season highlights both the challenges and opportunities for growth within LSG as they look forward to future campaigns.
