Lucknow Super Giants sank to their tenth loss of the season to bring an end to a disappointing year in IPL 2026, as Punjab Kings beat them by 7 wickets with ease to bring that same sinking feeling back to the Ekana Stadium. 197 didn’t prove to be enough as a Shreyas Iyer century ended the year on a sour note for Rishabh Pant’s team.
Having said earlier in the day how he felt the need for the team to ‘apologise’ to their fans to make up for the lost expectations, it was a bitter end for Pant as he spoke to the broadcasters to reflect on a disappointing year.
“Initial thoughts are that it was a tough one. You have to bite the bullet regardless of anything, so we are going to keep our head high. There has been a lot of learning, good or bad, so definitely a tough season for us as a team,” said the LSG captain.
LSG certainly had some high points – in particular, Mitchell Marsh putting together another stellar season, with Josh Inglis staking his claim late on with a couple of glittering knocks. The Indian pace bowling was also impressive, if a little inconsistent, with several names putting up their hands and performing through the summer.
Pant reflects on some positives
However, the negatives were just as plentiful, with Pant’s own lacklustre form and a down year for Nicholas Pooran highlighting the batting struggles.
“Definitely as a team we want to look at the positives. Josh has come in and played a brilliant knock, Mitch is not here but has done well for us,” reflected Pant. “Bowling, Prince (Yadav) has had an amazing season, last few games have been here and there, but had a terrific season and got an Indian call-up.”
While Prince Yadav led the line, there were strong showings from Mohsin Khan and Mohammed Shami as well, showing LSG have the core for a strong team but work to do in the auction lists: “Mohsin coming back from injury, Shami bhai, the way he has kept the nerve for the fast bowling unit, that was great to see. A lot of positives, but at the same time, idea without accountability is the harder thing to do. You want to focus on the right thing and the right path, accept everything and move on from it.”
An uncomfortable moment at the end for LSG’s captain
At the end of the brief interview, Rishabh Pant was left with a rueful smile – for him personally, but particularly as a leader for the team, it has been a tough year with many tough moments, having to take loss after loss. Responding to Graeme Swann’s well-wishes on air, Pant let out an awkward chuckle, and set his eyes on IPL 2027.
“Definitely, it’s been a long season, but keeping our head high, and we promise to come back stronger next year regardless of it,” he concluded.
