Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant found form on a personal level, but his team endured a defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Monday. The hosts struggled to hit quick runs on a sluggish wicket after batting first. The likes of Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran – two of the most in-form players for the side – departed early as Pant decided to bat deep, scoring 63 runs off 49 balls. But it all ended in vain for Lucknow.

The match went down the wire, with MS Dhoni turning back the clock to finish the game for CSK in style. The 43-year-old smashed the likes of Shardul Thakur and Avesh Khan with ease in the death overs to secure a victory for Chennai, with three balls to spare. However, many wondered if Pant made a mistake by not giving spinner Ravi Bishnoi – the team’s best bowler in the match — his 4th over of the match.

After the game, Pant seemed low and down with the defeat. This is when Dhoni decided to walk up to him and offer a few words of consolation. The CSK icon’s gesture won, understandably, the fans’ hearts.

A quick chat between MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant.#CSKvsLSG #LSGvsCSK #LSGvCSK pic.twitter.com/Y4VhOxk9dk

— ANAGHA GHOSH (@ghosh_anagha) April 14, 2025

Pant seemed to have made a disastrous call as he opted for two pacers — Shardul Thakur and Avesh Khan — at death and decided to snub his best bowler on the day.

Shardul was particularly expensive for LSG, conceding 56 runs in 4 overs without picking a single wicket. 

After the game, Rishabh Pant said that his team was 10-15 runs short. “We feel that as a team we were 10 to 15 runs short, we kept losing wickets when the momentum was with us. We had to keep stitching in partnerships. The wicket was stopping a bit, but we could have got 15 runs more I feel. I am feeling better with each and every game, but sometimes it doesn’t come off. Slowly getting into my rhythm, taking every match at a time,” he said.

On the Bishnoi decision, Pand explained: “We discussed with a lot of players, but we couldn’t take him (Bishnoi) deeper, that (bowling his last over) didn’t happen today. Bowling in the powerplay has been a concern for us, but we can pull things back. As a team we are looking to take the positives from each and every game and we are trying to improve.”