Following the Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) disappointing eight-wicket loss to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their first home game of IPL 2025, team mentor Zaheer Khan expressed strong criticism regarding the pitch conditions at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
LSG managed to post a total of 171 runs, but PBKS chased it down comfortably with 22 balls to spare.
Zaheer Khan’s Critique
In the post-match press conference, Zaheer Khan did not hold back in his assessment of the pitch, suggesting it was prepared in a manner that favored the visiting team.
He remarked, “What was a little disappointing for me here… considering it’s a home game… you’ve seen how teams have looked at taking a little bit of home advantage… I think maybe it looked like it was Punjab curator out here”.
This comment reflects his frustration that the pitch did not provide the expected support for LSG, especially given the significance of home advantage in the IPL.
Context of the Match
The match saw LSG losing three wickets during the Powerplay, which set them back significantly.
Although they managed to recover and set a target of 171, PBKS’s batting lineup, led by Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera, capitalized on the conditions and chased down the target with relative ease.
Zaheer acknowledged that while they accept the defeat, they were also disappointed for their fans who had high hopes for their first home game.
Future Outlook
Zaheer emphasized that this match should serve as a learning experience for the team and expressed hope that it would be “the first and last game” where such pitch conditions were encountered.
He stated, “As a team, we are confident… we still have six more games to go here… what you can expect is innovation, out-of-the-box thinking, the fight, the hunger”.
This sentiment reflects his commitment to improving the team’s performance moving forward.
