Rishabh Pant’s words during the post-match presentation of the Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2026 clash took the cricketing fraternity by surprise, especially after the wicketkeeper-batter’s strange words at professional level.

LSG who once again delivered a disappointing performance, failed to defend 221 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Already eliminated from this year’s tournament, their problems still do not seem to be fading away, as the side continues to remain at the bottom of the points table under Pant’s captaincy.

Rishabh Pant admits LSG fell short despite posting big total

Rishabh Pant in a post match conversationn with Ian Bishop admitted that despite putting 220-plus on the board, Lucknow still left crucial runs behind in the final overs.

“We could have actually scored five or ten runs more on this kind of wicket when you get that kind of start, and we just couldn’t capitalize in the last over.”

Pant backed his side, but it was his explicit remark that grabbed attention, as such language is rarely heard during official post-match presentations in top-level cricket. His words appeared to reflect the frustration of LSG’s difficult campaign and yet another collapse in a winning position.

“The kind of team we have, we know we can win this. It hasn’t gone our way and everyone knows that, but that doesn’t take away the fact that we are a f***ing good team.”

Pant’s IPL 2026 campaign under scrutiny with both as skipper and batter

Pant, who became the most expensive player in IPL history, has endured another season that has raised serious questions around both his batting and captaincy.

After a disappointing run in the previous season too, Pant’s story has not changed much. In 13 matches, he has managed 286 runs at an average of 28.6 and a strike rate of 140 — underwhelming returns for a player of his calibre and price tag.

In the captaincy department too, LSG, despite boasting some of the most prominent T20 stars in their squad, have delivered a poor campaign. In 13 matches, they have managed only four wins and nine losses, with repeated failures in both the bowling and batting departments.

Fans react on Pant's words with a few questioning his mental state other criticizing on choices of words.

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