Truth be told; you want to be anyone, just about anyone out there in the big, glorious and utterly competitive world of the Indian Premier League but Rishabh Pant. That’s not because he’s a bad man or a bad player. Anything but. On the contrary, he’s a gifted cricketer. But all of this abject surrender in the ongoing edition of the IPL in 2026, a season rendered desolate thanks to failing performances, poor results, inconsistencies have led the usually chuffed up cricketer who believes in chinning up in front of challenges seem desperate and perhaps even sad. That’s from what one can fathom given what’s visible on ground.

And last evening was perhaps another glaring reminder of just why things aren’t going all that well and have been that way for a while now for Rishabh Pant, captain of the Lucknow SuperGiants side. Succumbing to yet another loss in the competition is heartbreaking enough, this then were the Lucknow SuperGiants who ended up being defeated despite of scoring 220 runs.  

For a team that’s been at the lowest ebb of their form which is despite some brilliant individual performances shining through, especially the great form of Mitchell Marsh up the order and the medium fast bowler Prince Yadav being constantly amid the wickets, Lucknow SuperGiants are now left with one last game in the days to come.

And last evening they were tethered to all parts of the ground by the Rajasthan Royals, courtesy the decisive blade of Vaibhav Suryavanshi. But what transpired in the game’s aftermath is what is making more desperate news than the side would have wanted.

Speaking to the media on the ground and chatting with the expert panel of commentators up in the media box, especially Mr Ian Bishop, Rishabh Pant ended up saying something that might not exactly resonate with either the fans of the game and definitely not with those set of followers or admirers of the cricketer who would have wanted to keep a good opinion of the nice natured man.

Dropping the “F” word or as it’s called, the F bomb in the post match ceremony, Pant ended up saying, “Despite of it all, we are a F***g good team,” which was perhaps expressed in a bout of frustration. And while the anguish of the otherwise talented and exceedingly bright side can be understood, such words could have otherwise been avoided. That is what one thinks. Mr. Ian Bishop, while he thanked Pant for his comments, also apologised to the viewers for the language. Well, it’s what it is. Sadly enough!