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LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka, Rishabh Pant & Shreyas Iyer. Credits - X/AP
On Sunday, Punjab Kings (PBKS) thrashed the Rishabh Pant-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by a hefty margin of 54 runs, after posting the biggest total of the IPL 2026.
The Kings slammed, whammed and banged, courtesy of Priyansh Arya's 37-ball 93 and Cooper Connolly's 87 off 46 balls, who broke countless records, taking the team to 254/7.
Chasing it down, LSG experimented by opening with Mitch Marsh (40) and Ayush Badoni (35), followed by Pant, who hit a sharp 23-ball 43, before Aiden Markram chipped with 42. However, all those efforts went in vain as LSG lost three in a row.
Nevertheless, after the match, the skipper Pant and its owner, Sanjiv Goenka, became the subject of mockery.
PBKS fan mocks LSG owner over Rishabh Pant's comment
In recent years, the rivalry between PBKS and LSG has grown leaps and bounds. All the drama was cooked after the IPL mega-auction in 2025, when the two franchises bagged two of the costliest players in the history of the league.
As Rishabh Pant became the highest-paid IPL cricketer when LSG bagged him for INR 27 crore, the wicketkeeper mocked PBKS, stating, "(Mere ko andar se ek hi ka tension tha, aur vo tha Punjab) There was only one team I did not want to go to, and that was Punjab". Since then, Pant has been in the spotlight whenever the two teams meet.
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Quite recently, after LSG's defeat to PBKS, one of Punjab's fans teased the Super Giants' owner for buying Pant's services for the hefty price. In a video spreading on social media, the fan thanked Sanjiv Goenka, jokingly asking the business tycoon to retain him. The LSG owner took the joke in good spirits, laughing it off.
Watch: Punjab Kings fan teases LSG owner; wild video goes viral
Rishabh Pant calls PBKS the best team
After the recent loss to the Punjab Kings, the LSG captain Rishabh Pant had to eat his words after referring to PBKS as one of the best teams in the tournament.
"We believe in the team, but credit to PBKS for playing good, hard cricket," Pant said after the loss in Mullanpur.
Interestingly, after beating LSG, Punjab became the first team in IPL history to remain unbeaten in the first six matches of a season. The Shreyas Iyer-led team has won all their matches so far, except for the game vs KKR that was washed out.
Rishabh Pant flopped as captain vs PBKS
As Punjab smacked their way to 254 runs, Rishabh Pant was at his tactical worst as a captain. Although Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly batted like a dream, the LSG skipper misread the situation completely.
Pant introduction Ayush Badoni in the seventh over, letting the Punjab duo get set, while his second offence was bringing in Aiden Markram for the 13th over against the well-set duo. As a result, the part-time off-spinner was spanked for 32 runs in an over, getting smoked for five sixes.
Pant redeemed himself by scoring a fighting 43, amassing one boundary and three biggies.
Nevertheless, LSG will next play the Rajasthan Royals in their backyard on Wednesday (April 22).
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