New Delhi: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant experienced a strange yet familiar moment during their clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the HPCA Stadium on Sunday (May 4), when he lost grip of his bat mid-shot while attempting a big hit off Azmatullah Omarzai, resulting in his dismissal near the boundary.
The incident took place on the fifth delivery of the eighth over. Omarzai had been applying pressure on the left-hander, who was on 18 from 16 balls during LSG’s steep chase of 237. Stepping out to a wide, back-of-a-length delivery, Pant tried to launch it over the leg-side, but his bat slipped from his hands and flew toward square leg. Meanwhile, the ball flew in the opposite direction — toward deep point — where the fielder moved in and completed a comfortable catch.
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LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka, known for regularly attending his team’s games, appeared visibly frustrated during the match. His expression quickly made rounds on social media, becoming a viral moment.
This marked only the fourth time Pant managed to reach double figures in this IPL season. So far, he has accumulated just 128 runs across 10 innings, averaging 12.80 with a strike rate of 99.22. His only notable contribution remains a solitary fifty.
Lucknow Super Giants eventually suffered a 37-run defeat in the match.
“Definitely too many runs,” Pant said after the match, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “When you drop crucial catches at the wrong time, it can hurt you badly. We thought it would do more, but we did not pick the length right at the start. But that is part and parcel of the game. The dream is still alive. If we can win the next three matches, we can definitely turn around and do amazing things. (On the batting order and if they are looking to change it) It makes sense when your top order is batting well. Every match, you cannot hope for them to come off. It is part of the game, we have to take it deep sometimes. We had too many runs to catch up on and that hurt us badly,” he added.
