Dropped catches and missed chances derail Lucknow’s chase for crucial victory against Chennai
CHENNAI
Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant blamed poor fielding and costly dropped catches for his side’s five-wicket defeat against Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, a loss that officially ended LSG’s playoff hopes this season.
Despite posting a challenging 203 for eight, LSG failed to defend the total as CSK chased it down comfortably in 19.2 overs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The defeat marked Lucknow’s eighth loss in 11 matches.
Pant admitted his side had enough runs on the board but failed to capitalise due to sloppy work in the field.
“It was a great game. Everything was coming up nicely. We knew we would be put under pressure in the powerplay. When you come to Chennai, that is the kind of cricket you expect,” Pant said.
“Felt there was enough on the board. Fielding standards have to be up there, too many dropped catches. Urvil played a fantastic and unbelievable knock, like Inglis did for us. The team showed character to come back,” he added.
Australian batter Josh Inglis starred for LSG with a blistering 85-run innings, helping the visitors race to 77 without loss in the first five overs before finishing with a strong total.
However, CSK responded aggressively through young batter Urvil Patel, who smashed 65 off just 23 balls to put the hosts firmly in control of the chase.
Pant also said LSG had hoped to score slightly more after their explosive start.
“The way we started, we would have liked to have more. We knew 200-210 would be a good target. They got off to a flier but we knew it was getting difficult after the powerplay,” he said.
Explaining the decision to hand the final over to Aiden Markram instead of Shahbaz Ahmed, Pant said the team trusted experience in crunch situations.
Markram, defending 10 runs in the final over, was hit for two sixes by Shivam Dube as CSK sealed victory with four balls remaining.