"That's not the captain you want" - Aakash Chopra on Rishabh Pant's frustration ahead of LSG's IPL 2025 clash vs SRH

Former India player Aakash Chopra has noted that the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) cannot afford a frustrated Rishabh Pant as captain in their must-win IPL 2025 clash against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). He pointed out that anger was evident on the LSG skipper's face in their previous game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on May 4.

LSG will host SRH in Match 61 of IPL 2025 in Lucknow on Monday, May 19. With 10 points from 11 games, the hosts are placed seventh on the points table and need to win all three of their remaining games to stand a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener picked Pant among the LSG players in focus in their IPL 2025 clash against SRH, highlighting that the wicketkeeper-batter has underperformed this season and seemed to be frustrated on the field in their previous game.

"My focus will once again be on Rishabh Pant. He is a good player, there is no doubt about that, but the truth is that he hasn't done well this year. It's also true that he was extremely animated as a captain in the last match before the IPL suspension," Chopra said (9:00).

"It seemed like he was extremely disturbed and frustrated. That's not the captain you want, one who looks frustrated on the ground. You and I will never get to know what's going on behind the scenes. One shouldn't come to know from the captain's face that he is angry, but the anger was visible, which is not a great thing," he added.

Rishabh Pant has managed 128 runs at a paltry average of 12.80 in 10 innings in IPL 2025. He seemed angry with the bowlers during LSG's 37-run loss in their previous game against PBKS in Dharamsala.

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"He single-handedly changed the game when these 2 teams met last time" - Aakash Chopra on Nicholas Pooran ahead of LSG's IPL 2025 clash vs SRH

Nicholas Pooran (410) is LSG's highest run-scorer in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra acknowledged that Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram have fared well in IPL 2025, but picked Nicholas Pooran as the LSG batter in focus in Monday's game.

"From the batting perspective, Marsh and Markram are doing decently. My focus is on Pooran because he single-handedly changed the game when these two teams met last time. They were chasing 190, and they chased it easily. It didn't seem at all that it could become a close match," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that an in-form Pooran can change LSG's fortunes this season.

"Pooran played very well at the start - 34 sixes, Orange Cap, and all of that - but there has been such a sudden climb down after that, it is becoming difficult to come out of a slippery slope. If Lucknow have to do something magical, they need Nicholas Pooran to come in incredible form because when Pooran comes in form, this team looks a world-beater," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra urged LSG to include Will O'Rourke in their playing XI at David Miller's expense. He pointed out that the South African batter hasn't done well in IPL 2025 and that the Lucknow pitch and big ground will be to the tall New Zealand pacer's liking.