3 major reasons behind LSG's elimination in IPL 2025 ft. Woeful Rishabh Pant

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) went down to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets in match number 61 of IPL 2025 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Monday, May 19. Sent into bat, LSG posted 205-7 on the board in their 20 overs. SRH, however, chased down the target in 18.2 overs as Abhishek Sharma hammered 59 off 20 balls.

Following the defeat, Lucknow became the fifth team to be eliminated from the playoffs race after Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. LSG are currently in seventh position in the points table, with five wins and seven losses from 12 matches. They had their moments in IPL 2025, but lacked the consistency needed to clinch a top four berth.

In the wake of LSG's elimination from the playoffs race, we analyze three reasons why they failed to secure a top four berth in IPL 2025.

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#3 Unavailability of key fast bowlers due to injury

It would be fair to say that Lucknow were the team hampered most by injuries. Left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan was ruled out of IPL 2025 before LSG's opening match due to injury and was replaced by Shardul Thakur. As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, Mohsin suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear (ACL) on his right knee while playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Right-arm fast bowler Mayank Yadav played only two matches for Lucknow in IPL 2025 before being ruled out with another back injury. Mayank registered figures of 2-40 against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede on April 27 and 0-60 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamsala on May 4. His absence for majority of the tournament due to fitness issues hurt the franchise big time.

LSG's pace bowling in IPL 2025 has lacked potency. Thakur has claimed 13 scalps, but has been inconsistent and costly at times. Avesh Khan, who was also under injury cloud at the start of the T20 league, has picked up 10 wickets at an economy rate of nearly 10. Akash Deep has claimed three scalps in five games at an economy rate of 12.

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#2 LSG's overdependence on Marsh, Markram and Pooran in batting

As mentioned earlier, LSG have had their moments in IPL 2025. One of the key factors behind the same has been the performance of openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram and left-handed batter Nicholas Pooran. While Pooran has 455 runs at a strike rate of 197.82, Marsh has 443 runs at a strike rate of 157.09. As for Markram, he has scored 409 runs at a strike rate of 148.72.

In the match against SRH as well on Monday, Marsh and Markram got Lucknow off to a terrific start, adding 115 in 10.3 overs. Pooran also chipped in with 45 off 26 as LSG created history. For the first time in the IPL, three overseas batters from one franchise have scored 400-plus in a season. However, while the three have been brilliant, Lucknow have suffered due to the overdependence on them in batting.

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#1 Rishabh Pant and David Miller's flop show

When it came to making an impact with the bat in the middle and end overs, LSG were depending heavily on skipper Rishabh Pant and finisher David Miller. However, both the aggressive left-handers have failed to live up to their reputation, which has cost Lucknow in a huge way.

Pant, purchased at the auction for a record ₹27 crore, has only scored 135 runs in 11 innings at a dismal average of 12.27 and an unacceptable strike rate of 100. He did score one half-century, but that also came in a losing cause. Almost every time Pant has walked out to bat, he has looked out of sync, perhaps burdened by the pressure of excessive expectations and the ₹27 crore price tag.

So bad has Pant been in IPL 2025, Miller has escaped scrutiny that would have come his way otherwise. Like the Lucknow skipper, the South African batter has also had a disappointing campaign. In 11 innings, he has scored 153 runs at an average of 30.60 and a strike rate of 127.50, with a best of 27*. A lot more was expected of Miller, who was purchased by Lucknow for ₹7.5 crore.