Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant admitted it had been a frustrating campaign after the defeat confirmed LSG would finish at the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table.
Pant felt Lucknow had enough runs on the board but admitted batting conditions became easier during the second innings.
Rishabh Pant reflects on disappointing IPL 2026 season
“Initial thoughts are – it’s a tough one. Still have to bite the bullet regardless of everything. Always you can get 5-10 more, but I think there was enough for the total.
“But at the same time, you know batting gets easier in the second innings at Ekana. Sometimes, ideas without accountability are the hardest thing to do. As a team, we want to look at the positives… Definitely a lot of positives. It’s been a long season, we promise to come back stronger next year.“
Ricky Ponting praises Shreyas Iyer’s leadership and maturity
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting lauded his captain’s maturity. “We’ve done it the hard way, let’s put it that way. We’ve done what we needed to do today. Sloppy in the field again, gave them 20 more runs than they should’ve got. Pretty clinical chase, especially being in trouble early. The captain he’s done that all season. That’s his first IPL century tonight.
“We’ll celebrate that, and then we’ll sit around and wait for those results tomorrow. There’s a reason I spent as much money at the auction as I did a couple of years ago. He’s a ripping guy, a very mature player now, and a very mature leader. More often than not, he keeps his emotions in check on the field. The respect he has from his players is second to none.
“The moment he stands in front of the group and speaks, not a single eye ball leaves a single word he says. Delighted to work with him. Really happy with the season he’s had. Great to see him back in the Indian one-day team.
“I really think there’s a bigger, brighter future for him in the Indian T20 team as well. The level of cricket we played in the first half was a level I’ve never seen before. And then we just made some crucial errors at different times in the last six games.”
Ricky Ponting heaps praise on Prabhsimran Singh
Speaking about Prabhsimran, Ponting said, “A terrific player. It’s probably only been the last couple of years that he has realised how good he is. He and Priyansh have been outstanding for us the last couple of seasons. Seeing him play a mature innings tonight in a good run chase will do him a world of good. We’ll try to get the boys together and watch it (the RR-MI game).”
The win has lifted PBKS to fourth on the points table, and their fate now hinges on the Rajasthan Royals’ clash with the Mumbai Indians. If RR win, Punjab are out, if MI prevail, Kolkata Knight Riders could still overtake PBKS on net run rate with a big win over the now eliminated Delhi Capitals.
If all works well in their favour, PBKS will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator clash in New Chandigarh on Wednesday.
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