In a thrilling display of cricket at the Ekana Stadium, Punjab Kings (PBKS) clinched their second consecutive victory in the IPL 2025 season, defeating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by a dominating eight wickets. This victory marks the fourth time PBKS has won both their opening games in an IPL season, propelling them to the second spot on the points table, following their earlier triumph against Gujarat Titans.
Post-match, the atmosphere was charged as LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka engaged in a lengthy and animated conversation with PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer, who played a pivotal role in the victory with a match-winning fifty. The discussion also involved LSG’s Rishabh Pant, whose performance in the match was less than stellar. Pant, who was acquired by LSG for a staggering Rs 27 crore, found himself on the losing side once again, managing only two runs off five balls. This brings his total to a mere 17 runs from 26 balls across three innings in the tournament so far.
The conversation between Goenka and Pant was reminiscent of their previous interaction following LSG’s loss to Delhi Capitals, marked by Goenka’s animated gestures and pointing at Pant, indicating a heated exchange.
LSG’s struggles continue as they have now lost two out of their first three matches in the season. They are set to face Mumbai Indians in their next home game on Friday, looking to turn their fortunes around.
Reflecting on the match, Pant shared his thoughts during the post-match presentation, stating, “It (the total) wasn’t enough, we were 20-25 runs short, but that’s part and parcel of the game. Still assessing the conditions at our home ground. It’s always going to be difficult to get a big total when you lose early wickets, but each and every player is trying hard to take the game forward. The idea was to get a slow wicket. I think the slower balls were sticking in. We got to learn from this game and move forward. There are a lot of positives, can’t say much.”