Rishabh Pant Offers Unusual Reason Behind Crucial Mistake Against Chennai Super Kings

Rishabh Pant defended his controversial bowling call after Lucknow Super Giants crashed out of the IPL 2026 playoff race, insisting.

The presence of two left-handers at the crease forced him into a risky final-over gamble against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk.

With CSK needing 10 runs in the last over of a tense chase, Pant surprisingly turned to part-time spinner Aiden Markram instead of completing the quota of Shahbaz Ahmed, who had returned impressive figures of 2/30 from his three overs.

The move unravelled instantly.

Prashant Veer smashed boundaries off the opening deliveries of the over as Chennai sealed a dramatic five-wicket win, completing their first successful chase of a 180-plus target in the IPL since 2018. After the defeat, Pant admitted the option of using Shahbaz was considered but claimed the match-up influenced the final decision.

“That thought definitely came up,” Pant said after the game. “But with two left-handers batting, it became difficult. Markram has delivered in these situations for us before, so we backed him.”

The explanation, however, only added to the scrutiny around LSG’s bowling plans. Pant had already used up most of his frontline pace resources earlier in the innings, even before aggressive hitters like Shivam Dube entered the contest, leaving the side short of safer options at the death.

LSG had earlier looked set for victory after piling up 203 in the first innings. Josh Inglis tore into the CSK attack with a sensational 85 off 33 balls, while Shahbaz Ahmed added late momentum through a brisk 43 from 25 deliveries.

Even then, Pant felt his side had missed the chance to push further.

“We started really well and probably could have added more towards the end,” he said. “Still, we believed anything around 200 would be competitive because the pitch became tougher after the powerplay.”

But CSK produced a chase unlike anything they had managed in recent years.

The foundation came from Urvil Patel, whose breathtaking 65 off just 23 balls completely shifted the momentum. The youngster smashed eight sixes and brought up a joint-fastest fifty for Chennai, breaking open the contest before the middle order finished the job.

Pant admitted Urvil’s innings had changed the match.

“He played an unbelievable knock,” Pant said. “Very similar to the kind of impact Inglis had for us earlier.” Although Chennai briefly stumbled after Urvil’s dismissal, the hosts recovered in time to complete the chase with balls remaining and finally snap a seven-year streak of failed 180-plus pursuits.

The win lifted CSK to fifth place in the standings, while the defeat officially ended LSG’s playoff hopes. The two teams will face off again in Lucknow on May 15.