IPL 2026

‘Idiot captain’: Rishabh Pant under fire from fans after LSG lose must-win CSK thriller at Chepauk

By Sandy Verma

Lucknow Super Giants’ IPL 2026 campaign is effectively over, and Rishabh Pant will know the questions are coming straight at him. LSG had 203 on the board against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, had the match alive deep into the chase, and still lost by five wickets.

CSK completed their first successful 180-plus chase in the IPL since 2018, while Lucknow’s defeat confirmed their elimination from the playoff race. For Rishabh Pant, this was not just another loss. It was a night where his captaincy calls, his own batting form, and LSG’s fielding standards all came under the scanner at once.

CSK vs LSG: Final over call leaves Rishabh Pant exposed

The biggest talking point was Rishabh Pant’s decision to hand the final over to Aiden Markram with CSK needing only 10 runs. Shahbaz Ahmed still had one over left and had already taken 2 for 30 in three overs, but Pant avoided him because two left-handers were at the crease.

‘That came to my mind,’ Rishabh Pant said after the match when asked about Shahbaz. ‘But with two left-handers in the middle, it was a tough call. Aiden has done it many times for us in the past. That was the call I had to take.

The explanation did not convince many. Markram is a part-time option, and with the game on the line, the move felt like a gamble rather than a plan. Shivam Dube punished it instantly, smashing back-to-back sixes after two wides as CSK finished the chase with four balls to spare.

The strange part is that Rishabh Pant had chances to use Markram earlier, before Dube arrived. Instead, he kept using his fast bowlers and left himself with limited options at the end. In a must-win match, that kind of end-overs management will be heavily criticized.

Dropped catches hurt Lucknow Super Giants badly at Chepauk

Rishabh Pant also pointed to LSG’s poor fielding, and he was right to do so. Lucknow dropped three catches, and in a close game, those misses became fatal. Urvil Patel was given a life after his fifty, while Prashant Veer was dropped twice in the penultimate over, first by Digvesh Rathi and then by Nicholas Pooran.

‘Definitely, it was a great game. Everything was coming nicely, we knew they’d put us under pressure, as that’s how it happens in Chennai. In T20s, fielding standards have to be there, too many dropped catches,’ Pant said.

That line summed up Lucknow’s season in many ways. They had moments, they had chances, but they rarely held them long enough. Against CSK, the dropped catches allowed the chase to stay alive even after Lucknow had dragged the game back following Urvil’s dismissal.

Rishabh Pant’s batting slump adds to pressure

Pant’s own form has not helped his case. Against CSK, he made only 15 off 12 balls before Jamie Overton knocked him over. Overton bowled a good-length delivery angling away, Pant tried to guide it on the off side, and the inside edge crashed into the stumps.

For the season, Pant has scored 251 runs in 11 matches at an average of 27.89 and a strike rate of 138.67. Those are not disastrous numbers, but they are not the kind of returns expected from a record-priced player and captain. The burden of leadership seems to have weighed on him, especially during LSG’s long losing stretch.

Earlier in the tournament, Pant was criticized for tactical confusion, frequent batting-order changes and questionable bowling calls. The Super Over loss, where Nicholas Pooran was sent ahead of other in-form hitters, also invited scrutiny. Even when LSG broke their losing streak against RCB, Pant’s decisions remained part of the discussion.

Also READ: Urvil Patel helps CSK chase 200-plus target after 8 years as LSG crash out of IPL 2026 Playoff race

LSG had enough runs but not enough control

LSG’s 203 should have been defendable. Josh Inglis played a stunning 85 off 33 balls, while Shahbaz Ahmed added an important 43 off 25. Pant admitted they wanted more after such a fast start, but still believed 200-210 was a good score as batting became harder later.

‘The way we started, we would have liked to get more. But at the same time, we felt close to 200-210 would be a good total. We knew it was getting difficult after the powerplay,’ Rishabh Pant said.

That assessment was fair. The pitch slowed down, and CSK also struggled after Urvil Patel’s 65 off 23 balls. At one point, Chennai’s asking rate was manageable, but wickets gave LSG a real opening. That is why the defeat will hurt more. Lucknow did enough to create pressure, but not enough to finish the match.

Here’s how fans reacted:

A season of missed moments for Rishabh Pant and LSG

Pant praised Urvil after the game, saying, ‘Urvil played a fantastic and unbelievable knock like Inglis did for us.’ But the bigger story is what this defeat means for Lucknow. They are out of the playoff race, and their season will be remembered as one of missed chances, muddled decisions and poor execution under pressure.

Pant still has match-winning quality, and LSG clearly backed him as the face of their project. But IPL 2026 has shown that captaincy has not been smooth for him. His instinctive style can produce bold wins, as seen when Digvesh Rathi defended the final over against RCB. But the same instinct can look reckless when it fails, as it did with Markram against CSK.

The problem for Pant is that the season ended with the gamble going wrong. In a game LSG had to win, their captain left a specialist option unused, trusted a part-timer at the death, dropped points through fielding errors, and could not deliver enough with the bat himself. That is why the scrutiny will be loud. LSG did not crash out because of one over alone, but that final over became the perfect symbol of their campaign: brave, messy, and ultimately not good enough.

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