 "LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka laments 'challenging second half' after Rishabh Pant-led side bow out of playoffs race")
Rishabh Pant’s maiden season as Lucknow Super Giants captain has been far from ideal this year, with the wicketkeeper-batter hardly justifying the Rs 27 crore that the franchise paid to secure his services in the Indian Premier League mega auction in November.
Not only has Pant failed to deliver with the bat, scoring just 135 runs in 12 games at a poor average and strike rate of 12.27 and 100 respectively, his team also bowed out of the playoffs race after suffering a six-wicket defeat in a must-win match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Lucknow on Monday.
LSG, thus, have failed to reach the IPL playoffs for a second consecutive season, having finished seventh last year with seven wins and as many defeats, albeit under KL Rahul’s leadership. And under Pant’s captaincy, they have lost seven out of the 12 matches that they have played so far this season and currently are on a four-match losing streak.
Goenka urges LSG to ‘finish strong’ after bowing out of playoffs race
Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka, who had made headlines for the wrong reasons last year after publicly rebuking Rahul following a defeat – also against the Sunrisers – expressed disappointment over what has been a “challenging second half” of the ongoing season.
At the same time, the chairman of the Kolkata-based RPSG Group hailed the team’s “spirit, effort and moments of excellence” this season and encouraged his team to “finish strong” with two games remaining this season.
“It’s been a challenging second half of the season, but there’s much to take heart in. The spirit, the effort, and the moments of excellence give us a lot to build on. Two games remain. Let’s play with pride and finish strong,” Goenka wrote on X on Tuesday.
Also Read | Rishabh Pant's first statement after LSG eliminated from playoff race
Openers Mitchell Marsh (65) and Aiden Markram (61) gave Lucknow a solid start in their must-win clash on Monday with a couple of attacking half-centuries and a 115-run partnership. The rest of the batters barring Nicholas Pooran (45 off 26), however, failed to build on the excellent start provided by Marsh and Markram, posting 205/7 on the board with as many as four batters departing for single-digit scores.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSri Lankan pacer Eshan Malinga was the pick of the SRH bowlers with figures of 2/28 from four overs, collecting an outstanding catch off his own bowling to dismiss Pant for a six-ball 7.
Abhishek Sharma led Sunrisers’ charge during their chase with a knock of 59 off 20 deliveries, opening with Atharva Taide on Monday with Australian batter Travis Head missing the game due to an illness. His knock, along with handy contributions from Heinrich Klaasen (47 off 28) Ishan Kishan (35 off 28) and Kamindu Mendis (32 off 21) ensured SRH got over the line with nearly two overs to spare despite a late wobble.
SRH had already been eliminated from the playoffs race before the IPL was suspended for a week due to the military conflict between India and Pakistan, and currently are hoping to avoid the wooden spoon.
LSG travel to Ahmedabad for the next match, against Gujarat Titans on Thursday, before facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru at home next Tuesday in their final match of the season.
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