India’s legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has talked about the recent incident in which Rishabh Pant dropped an 'F-bomb' during a post-match interview. This happened after Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) lost their final IPL 2026 games to Rajasthan Royals on May 19.
Thanks to Mitchell Marsh’s 96, Josh Inglis’ 60, and Rishabh Pant’s 35, LSG posted 220/5 in 20 overs. In response, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hammered 93 in 38 balls, and Dhruv Jurel made 53* to take RR to a win by 7 wickets, scoring 225/3 in 19.1 overs.
"We are proud as a team regardless of how our situation is right now. You know, with the kind of team we have, we know we can win this. Regardless of anything, we are confident enough as a team and as individuals. It hasn't gone our way, and everyone knows that, but that doesn't take away the fact that we are a f***ing good team,” Rishabh Pant stated in an interview with broadcasters after the match.
However, Sunil Gavaskar says Pant should not be blamed. According to him, anyone might lose emotional control when asked to speak shortly after a terrible setback. And, in a high-pressure event like the IPL, even the skipper might become frustrated.
“Rishabh Pant dropping the ‘F’ word in his post-game interview does make one wonder whether it is necessary to interview the captain whose team has just lost the game barely minutes earlier. If it’s been a last-over finish, then the disappointment for the captain would be even greater, and if he were also the wicketkeeper who has been running up and down to the stumps every other delivery and that too in this heat, then it could add to his frustration,” Gavaskar wrote in Mid-Day.
“It might be a better idea to speak to the ‘player of the match’ from the winning team and give the captain of the losing team a little time to splash some water on his face and regain his composure and then come over for an interview. As it is, there will be a bit of time for the presentation party to be ready, so giving the captain of the team that has lost a few more minutes could well ensure that such things won’t happen,” he stated.
Usually a character filled with antics and fun, Rishabh Pant was seen in a serious mode and under pressure of being the INR 27 crore buy in IPL 2025 auction. LSG didn’t have a good outing last season as well, and even in IPL 2026, Pant and co. failed to progress.
In contrast to the IPL, the losing captain in international cricket typically expresses his opinions during the presentation ceremony following a ten to fifteen-minute intermission. Gavaskar has advised broadcasters to give captains some breathing room before placing a microphone in front of them because the stakes are so high.
"Rishabh Pant is one of the game's most cheerful players, who loves to play his own way." And the fact that even he lost it does make the case for the losing team’s captain to be given a few more minutes to recover his thoughts rather than have the mic shoved in his face even before he has had time to get his breath back. Is that too much to ask?” he mentioned.
(Mid-day inputs)
