Cricketers have good days and bad days. In the age of social media where players become instant heroes or instant villains, what stood out was Simon Doull’s handling of Rishabh Pant after Lucknow Super Giants’ horror loss against Rajasthan Royals.
When Lucknow captain Pant arrived for the post-match interview looking visibly frustrated after the loss, Doull did not attack Pant for LSG’s awful batting. Instead, he took a very soft tone with the captain.
Pant cut a pitiful figure during the interview, having just completed a simple 160-run chase. Pant’s LSG won 119 runs in just 18 matches and lost their third match in a row in the Indian Premier League 2026 season.
“We are disappointed as a team, as a group, but we have to find ways to win matches. We need to find answers inside, not outside. But that’s the way it is now,” Rishabh Pant said in a post-match interview.
LSG vs RR: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
Rishabh Pant also took the same blame for the horrible swing of the bat that got him out in the other end of the game. Pant said he should have taken the game deeper today and finished the job on his own against the visiting team.
“We could have taken some time batting in the middle, but at the same time, you know, we don’t want to make excuses for that. Myself included, I think we could have taken the run chase a bit deeper. I think the bowlers have done a fantastic job, especially after the last game, but as a batting group I think we have to put our hands up and do it for the bowlers as well,” Pant added of the bowlers.
At the end of the interview, Pant thanked Doull for speaking quietly with him and again reminded that inside that tough exterior remains a human being like any other who goes through emotions during difficult times in life.
“Doully, thanks for being soft today,” Pant signed off from the post-match interview.
On Wednesday, Rishabh Pant’s side dominated the contest in the first half of the match and restricted Rajasthan to just 159 runs. On what looked like a good batting track, the hosts failed against the pace of Jofry Archer and Nandra Burger and were bowled out for just 119 with 2 overs remaining.
The season has not gone according to plan for LSG as they have now lost 5 out of 7 matches. They are currently languishing in 9th place in the league table, just above Kolkata Knight Riders who are having an equally terrible season.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
23 Apr 2026 01:02 IST
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