“We are a f***ing good team,” Rishabh Pant said at the end of Lucknow Super Giants‘ ninth loss in 13 games in IPL 2026. They are out of the playoffs. They are bottom of the table now. And they still have to go through the formality of one final game before this season comes to an end.

Pant was responding to a question about that game, against Punjab Kings on Saturday, when he said: “We are proud as a team regardless of how our situation is right now. You know, the kind of team we have, we know we can win this. Regardless of anything we are confident enough as a team and as individuals. 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”

LSG’s problem has been their batting with Pant himself having a poor season with seven scores of 20 or under in 12 innings. Other big players around him – like Nicholas Pooran – have also been off the boil. Even Mitchell Marsh, who recently scored a hundred and on Tuesday backed it up with a 96, had a slow start to this IPL. Team director Tom Moody admitted that their middle order, in particular, underperforming was a big reason why they kept finding themselves at the bottom half of the points table.

Against Rajasthan Royals, though, the batters did okay but the bowlers came under severe pressure from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who made 93 off 38 and Yashasvi Jaiswal who made 43 off 23. The RR openers knocked down 75 runs off a target of 221 in just 39 balls.

“Sometimes, you know, it is hard,” Pant said in defence of his team. “On a [flat] wicket like this, there is less margin for the bowlers, you know and just having too many suggestions doesn’t work you know. Sometimes you have to keep a simple plan and keep focusing on that one ball at a time and try to execute that plan.”

Sooryavanshi batting through to the 14th over and scoring his runs at rapid pace prevented Pant from using one of the bowlers he had available – left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed. He only came on for the last over of the game when RR needed two runs to win.

“Definitely, the left-handers. They had been batting for a period of time. And exposing a left-arm spinner, I didn’t want that, because [Digvesh] Rathi (4-0-38-0) was in the side. So why take chance on Shabby when Rathi is there, for sure.”