Rishabh Pant was left searching for answers after Lucknow Super Giants failed to make the most of a flying start and eventually lost to Mumbai Indians by six wickets in their Indian Premier League 2026 match at the Wankhede Stadium here on Monday.
Lucknow Super Giants' captain Rishabh Pant walks off the field after his dismissal during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, April 09, 2026. (Photo: IANS)
Rishabh Pant was left searching for answers after Lucknow Super Giants failed to make the most of a flying start and eventually lost to Mumbai Indians by six wickets in their Indian Premier League 2026 match at the Wankhede Stadium here on Monday.
LSG got off to a brilliant start, racing to 90 for 1 in the first six overs, but could not carry that momentum through the innings. Pant admitted that his side fell short of what they should have scored after such a strong powerplay.
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“The way we started, we should have definitely gotten more runs. They bowled well, used to these conditions. Definitely, we were short 10-15 runs, 220-230 wickets for shot,” Pant said at the post-match presentation.
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Batting first, Nicholas Pooran led the charge with a stunning 63 off just 21 balls, including a 16-ball half-century, while Mitchell Marsh added 44 off 25 balls. Their efforts powered LSG to a dominant position early on. However, both batters were dismissed in the same over by Corbin Bosch, which slowed the innings down.
Despite a brief middle-order wobble, LSG managed to post a competitive total of 228 for 5. But it turned out to be insufficient as Mumbai chased down the target comfortably.
Chasing 229, Mumbai got off to a strong start through Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton. The duo added 143 runs for the first wicket, with Rohit scoring 84 off 44 balls and Rickelton making 83 off 32. Their partnership laid the foundation for an easy chase.
Pant chose not to criticise his bowlers, acknowledging the difficulty of defending such a total on a batting-friendly surface. “We had an edge over them. On a wicket like this, you can’t blame bowlers; they’ve been doing a great job,” said the wicketkeeper-batter.
The loss marked LSG’s sixth defeat in a row, leaving them at the bottom of the table with just four points. Despite the poor run, Pant remained hopeful and stressed the need for a bit of luck going forward.
“We need some good luck, man… It’ll take more effort from us, for sure,” he said, keeping a positive outlook despite the setback.
SKY praises MI bowlers for turnaround
Suryakumar Yadav praised his bowlers for brilliantly turning the game around to help Mumbai Indians secure a comfortable win. Leading the side in the absence of Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar said the team stayed calm even when Lucknow got off to a blazing start before the bowlers hit back to restrict the opposition to 228.
“To be very frank, it was nothing new to be honest (90/1 at the end of power-play) (Overs) 7-10 is the best time to pull the game off. The way all the bowlers responded showed a lot of character,” said Surya in the post-match presentation.
Suryakumar said the team did not need to make many changes during the innings, as the players already had clear plans in place. “Everyone had that belief, clear plans. It was just a little/little attacking. Even though we scored 244 a few days back, SRH chased this down.”
He also credited the opening pair for setting up the chase. “Want to have a good start when chasing 220-225. They were always in control. In the end, the way Naman Dhir and everyone batted, it was nice,” he added.
The win marked Mumbai Indians’ third victory in 10 matches this season.
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