Rishabh Pant admitted the decision crossed his mind, but the Lucknow Super Giants captain still chose to trust spin over pace in the final over — a move that ultimately backfired as Chennai Super Kings pulled off a historic chase at Chepauk.
Defending 10 runs in the last over of a must-win clash, Pant surprisingly handed the ball to part-time spinner Aiden Markram despite still having an over left from Shahbaz Ahmed, who had already picked up two wickets and conceded just 30 runs in his three overs.
The gamble failed immediately.
Prashant Veer smashed 14 runs off the first two deliveries to seal a five-wicket win for CSK, helping the Chennai franchise chase down a 180-plus target for the first time in the IPL since 2018.
After the match, Pant explained the thinking behind the controversial call.
“That came to my mind,” Pant said when asked about not giving the over to Shahbaz. “But with two left-handers batting, it became a difficult decision. Aiden has bowled in these situations for us before, so that was the call we took.”
The explanation raised further questions because Pant had earlier persisted with his pace attack during the middle overs, even before powerful left-hander Shivam Dube arrived at the crease. By the final over, LSG were left with limited bowling options — and the decision eventually proved costly.
Earlier, LSG appeared firmly in control after posting 203 on the board. Josh Inglis powered the innings with a blistering 85 off just 33 balls, while Shahbaz Ahmed added late momentum through a quickfire 43 from 25 deliveries.
Pant, however, admitted his side felt they had left runs behind.
“The way we started, we thought we could have got slightly more,” he said. “But we still believed 200-210 was a strong total because batting became tougher after the powerplay.”
Yet CSK produced one of their best chases in years thanks largely to an explosive innings from Urvil Patel. The young batter smashed a joint-fastest fifty for the franchise, hammering eight sixes during his breathtaking 65 off only 23 balls.
Pant acknowledged the impact of Urvil’s innings, comparing it to the damage caused earlier by Josh Inglis for LSG.
“Urvil played an unbelievable knock, similar to what Inglis did for us,” Pant said.
Although Urvil fell before the finish, CSK’s middle order held its nerve to complete the chase and finally end a seven-year streak of failed 180-plus pursuits.
The victory lifted Chennai to fifth place on the points table, while the defeat officially knocked Lucknow out of playoff contention. The two teams will meet again in Lucknow at the Ekana Stadium on May 15.
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