North India Statesman
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News India Live, Digital Desk: After the thrilling defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2026, the management and captain Rishabh Pant of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are being severely criticized. The main reason for this controversy Nicholas Pooran Has to be sent to bat in the super over. Experts and fans have termed this decision as ‘criminal’ (big mistake), because Puran has failed to find his rhythm in the entire season so far.
Why are questions being raised? (‘worst’ performance of the entire season)
Statistics testify that Nicholas Pooran is going through the worst form of his career. Fans argue that when a batsman is consistently failing, sending him into a high-voltage moment like the Super Over is like inviting defeat for the team.
Puran’s stats in IPL 2026:
Total matches: 8
Total Run: only 82 runs
average: 10.25
strike rate: 81.19 (which is very bad for T20)
In the match against KKR: Even in the main innings before the Super Over, Puran had scored only 9 runs in 12 balls.
What happened in the super over?
When the match reached the super over, Lucknow had a small target to win.
strategy: Lucknow surprised everyone by sending Nicholas Pooran to open with Rishabh Pant.
outcome: Puran lost his wicket while attempting a big shot on the very first ball of Sunil Narine.
Criticism: Former cricketers say that when you have aiden markram Or Ayush Badoni With the players in good form (Markram had scored 31 runs in the main match), sending Pooran made no sense.
Anger erupted on social media
Fans on X (Twitter) and other platforms are calling this decision of Lucknow as “the worst decision of the season”.
“It is a crime to send a player who has not even scored 100 runs in 8 matches to the Super Over. It is a failure of the management, not of the players.” – a viral tweet
Management’s defense?
Although there has been no official statement from the team, it is believed that considering Puran’s ‘match-winner’ image and his previous record (500+ runs in 2024 and 2025), confidence was expressed in him. But the poor form of 2026 cost the team heavily this time.
