Drop catches cost LSG: Rishabh Pant points to fielding lapses after CSK chase down 204

Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant said fielding mistakes hurt his side as they lost to Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in an IPL 2026 match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. CSK chased 204 in a close finish, with the game going into the final over.

LSG dropped key chances during the chase, including two drops of Prashant Veer on nine and one of Urvil Patel when he was on 62. Pant said these moments affected the outcome, even though his team showed effort to stay in the contest.

“Definitely. I think it was a great game. Everything was coming out nicely. We knew we were going to put enough pressure on in the power play because when you practice like that, that's the kind of cricket you look forward to."

“But at the same time, I feel like there was enough time. In T20 cricket, the fielding standards have to be up there. Too many catches were dropped, and as you said, it's difficult to put it on just one thing. But a lot of character shown to come back from there was really good (on Urvil's knock),” Pant said after the match ended.

Pant also spoke about Urvil Patel’s 13-ball fifty, which matched the impact of Josh Inglis’s earlier 85 for LSG in the powerplay.

“That's the only thing. Urvil played a fantastic, unbelievable knock like Inglis for us. We knew in the power play, someone had to take that charge, and that's what Inglis did for us.

“For CSK, it was Urvil. But at the same time, the team showed a lot of character. Definitely some areas where we can work out, but kudos to CSK. They held on to their nerves better than we,” he said.

On LSG’s total of 203, Pant said they were aiming higher but accepted the conditions slowed scoring after the powerplay.

“Definitely, given how we started, we would have liked to aim for more, but we knew close to 200-210 would be a good target. They got off to a flyer in the power play. But at the same time, we knew that it was getting difficult, and after the power play, the ball was getting older, and it was sort of difficult to bat on the wicket.”

Pant also addressed his late bowling decision, including the option of using Shahbaz Ahmed in the final over.

“That came to my mind (on using Shahbaz Ahmed in the final over), but two lefties batting, it was a tough call to have. You've got to back someone who can just go over us, and again, as Markram has for a lot of times for us in the past years, also,” he said.