Rishabh Pant Largely Praises LSG Bowlers ‘Strength’ After Thrilling Win Over RCB

LSG ended their home drought with a tense victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru after Mitch Marsh’s stunning knock as Rishabh Pant lauded the effort.

Lucknow Super Giants finally registered their first home win of the IPL 2026 season at the Ekana Stadium after defeating defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a nail-biting encounter on Thursday.

Batting first in the rain-curtailed 19-overs-per-side contest, LSG posted a commanding total of 209 runs. The innings was anchored by Mitch Marsh, who smashed a sensational 111 and put Bengaluru’s bowling attack under relentless pressure throughout the innings.

RCB attempted a strong chase but eventually fell short by seven runs after being restricted to 202. Prince Yadav emerged as a crucial performer with the ball, claiming three wickets at important stages to halt Bengaluru’s momentum.

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Rishabh Pant Credits Team Effort In Crucial Victory

After the match, Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant expressed his happiness over the team finally delivering a complete performance with both bat and ball contributing together.

“It was a good game for us and it means a lot for the whole team. We have been trying lot of things. Coming to the same page means a lot for us. It’s been a tough season but sometimes you have to go through the grind. Definitely we were trying to put together a perfect game where batting and bowling comes together.”

Pant especially applauded the bowling attack for consistently stepping up during a difficult campaign. He highlighted the efforts of multiple bowlers who have carried the side despite inconsistent performances from the batting department earlier in the tournament.

“Our strength this season has been bowling, the way all the bowlers have put their heart out, especially Prince, Shami bhai, Rathi, Avesh, Mayank all the bowlers. There has been some good things as a bowling unit, and looking forward to that,” he said.

Digvesh Rathi Repays Pant’s Trust In Final Over

One of the turning points of the game came in the final over when Pant handed the ball to Digvesh Rathi instead of Shahbaz Ahmed, despite Shahbaz already making an impact earlier in the innings.

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The decision proved successful as Rathi kept RCB’s batters under pressure and defended the target calmly in the closing moments.

“It was a tough call to go with Rathi over Shahbaz. We were under pressure. But at the same time you’ve got to trust your bowler. Rathi was the right matchup for sure against Shepherd. He trusted himself and got the job done for the team,” he added.

Pant admitted it was a difficult tactical call but explained that the matchup against Romario Shepherd worked in Lucknow’s favour.

LSG’s Qualification Scenario In IPL 2026

Despite defeating defending champions RCB in a crucial must-win clash, the road to the IPL 2026 playoffs remains extremely difficult for Lucknow Super Giants. Led by Rishabh Pant, LSG currently have three wins and seven defeats from 10 matches and can only reach a maximum of 14 points if they win all four of their remaining league games.

As a result, the franchise cannot afford another defeat this season, while their poor Net Run Rate of -0.934 also remains a major concern. To stay alive in the qualification race, LSG will need convincing victories in their upcoming matches to improve their NRR significantly.

Even if LSG manage to finish on 14 points, qualification will still depend on other results going in their favour. Historically, 16 points have almost always guaranteed a playoff berth in the IPL, while only one team has managed to qualify with 14 points since the tournament expanded to 74 matches in 2022.

Interestingly, Royal Challengers Bengaluru achieved that feat in IPL 2024 due to a superior NRR. LSG’s remaining fixtures against Chennai Super Kings twice, Rajasthan Royals, and Punjab Kings will now decide whether they can script a miraculous turnaround and sneak into the top four.