Lalit’s absence meant Rishabh Pant had to make some tough decisions on the field. One of them was not giving Ravi Bishnoi a fourth over. Bishnoi was on fire against Chennai Super Kings, taking 2 wickets for just 18 runs in 3 overs. Despite his impressive performance, Pant decided to substitute him for other players.
A Nail-Biter at Ikana
The match at the Ikana Cricket Stadium was a thrilling one. Chennai Super Kings chased down LSG’s 167 runs in 19.3 overs, winning by 5 wickets. 
Pant’s 63 off 49 balls was the highlight of LSG’s innings. Other notable performances came from Mitchell Marsh (30), Ayush Badoni (22), and Abdul Samad (20).
Chennai’s openers, Shaik Rasheed and Rachin Ravindra, got them off to a flying start, putting on 52 runs in 29 balls. But Bishnoi brought LSG back into the game. He dismissed Rahul Tripathi (9) and Ravindra Jadeja (7), putting pressure on CSK.
Here are some key stats from the match:
- Ravi Bishnoi: 2/18 in 3 overs
- Adhen Markram: 1/25 in 4 overs
- Rishabh Pant: 63 off 49 balls
Bishnoi’s performance was impressive, but Pant chose to rotate his bowlers. Markram bowled his full quota of 4 overs, but Bishnoi didn’t get a fourth over. Pant explained that he wanted to go deep into the match and considered other options.
Post-Match Insights
Pant felt that LSG could have scored 10-15 more runs. “We kept losing wickets whenever we tried to build momentum,” he said. “The pitch was good for batting. I discussed it with the other players, and we decided to take a different approach.”
By not giving Bishnoi a fourth over, Pant showed that he was thinking about the bigger picture. It was a tough decision, but it was part of the game. The match may have been lost, but LSG will be back, and they’ll be ready for the next challenge.