IPL 2026: Rishabh Pant on LSG's tough season after loss to PBKS

LSG captain Rishabh Pant reflected on a 'challenging' IPL 2026 season after a 7-wicket loss to PBKS. Despite the defeat, Pant highlighted positives like key performers and promised the team would come back stronger next year.

Pant Reflects on Challenging Season

Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant admitted that his side endured a challenging IPL 2026 season after a seven-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings in their final group-stage match on Saturday night.

Reflecting on the loss, Pant said the team had to accept the result while focusing on learning and rebuilding for the future. "It's a tough one, we have to bite the bullet, keep our head high, it's been a lot of learning, a tough season for us for sure," Pant said. He added that LSG felt their total was competitive but acknowledged the advantage of batting second on a good surface. "I think we scored enough. It's harder in the second innings because the batting gets easier; that's why everyone wants to field first," he said.

Positives From the Campaign

Pant also highlighted several positives from the campaign, naming key performers who contributed during the season. "As a team, we want to look at the positives. Josh Inglis, Mitch Marsh, and Prince had a terrific season. Mohsin is coming back from injury ... Shami bhai. Definitely a lot of positives," he said.

Despite the disappointing finish, the LSG skipper expressed confidence in the team's ability to bounce back stronger next season. "It's been a long season; we promise to come back stronger next year," Pant added.

PBKS Dominate in Seven-Wicket Victory

Punjab Kings produced a dominant all-round performance to defeat Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets in their IPL 2026 clash in Lucknow, chasing down a target of 197 with ease. Skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front with a brilliant unbeaten maiden IPL century (101 off 51 balls), while Prabhsimran Singh contributed a fluent 69 off 39 balls as the duo powered PBKS to a strong finish and moved the side to fourth in the standings with 15 points.

Earlier, LSG posted 196/6 after a strong start from Josh Inglis (72 off 44) and a quickfire 37 from Abdul Samad, despite regular breakthroughs from Punjab bowlers, including Yuzvendra Chahal and Marco Jansen. However, their total proved insufficient as PBKS batters overhauled the target comfortably with an over to spare.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)