Lucknow Super Giants came short again in a nail-biting finish, losing their third game of the IPL 2025 season, this time to Chennai Super Kings at the Ekana Stadium. Pressure mounting in the final overs, skipper Rishabh Pant decided to bank on his pace bowling to see through 56 runs in the last five overs against the experienced pair of MS Dhoni and Shivam Dube. Avesh Khan and Shardul Thakur were entrusted the task in the death overs, while leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who had bowled a neat spell of 2 for 18 from three overs, was left unutilized for the last push.
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“I didn’t really talk [to Pant] about it, but I went to the wicket a couple of times and I think he had plans in place he wanted to execute,” Bishnoi said at the press conference after the game. “In such situations the captain is better placed and he keeps wicket too, so he understands things better. According to me, he took the decision he thought was better,” he added.
“He was clear in his mind and it’s better in such tense situations that the captain thinks with a clear mind,” he added.
Even as the pitch did provide some purchase for the spinners and despite CSK’s recent woes against spin bowling, Pant did not think of re-introducing Bishnoi into the attack when it mattered the most. In the post-match conversation, Bishnoi revealed that he came onto the pitch a couple of times expecting his last over but never questioned Pant’s choice, saying he respected and trusted his captain’s decision. The tactic, though, has opened up debate among the fans and experts, with most questioning whether a different bowling plan could have made a difference.
