Felt Like Punjab Curator Prepared Pitch: Zaheer Khan Slams Lucknow Pitch After LSGs Big Defeat To Punjab Kings-OxBig News Network

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) endured a disappointing start to their home campaign in IPL 2025, suffering an eight-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Following the loss, LSG mentor and former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan voiced his frustration over the pitch conditions, suggesting that it seemed more favorable for the visiting team rather than providing the home side with an advantage.

Zaheer Khan Questions Home Pitch Conditions

Zaheer Khan expressed his disappointment with the nature of the pitch, hinting that it seemed as if it was prepared by a Punjab curator instead of one meant to benefit LSG. He emphasized how home conditions should ideally offer some advantage, a strategy that many IPL teams, including Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, have successfully employed over the years.

“Disappointed, not really thinking that it’s a home game. What was a little disappointing for me here, considering it’s a home game. In IPL, you’ve seen how teams have looked at taking a little bit of home advantage, you know, so yeah, from that point of view, you’ve seen the curator is not really thinking that it’s a home game. I think maybe it looked like, you know, it was Punjab curator out here,” Zaheer said at the post-match press conference.

Several teams this season have raised concerns about their home pitch conditions, and LSG has now joined that list after their underwhelming performance in Lucknow.

LSG’s Batting Struggles on Red-Soil Pitch

After being put in to bat first, LSG struggled early on, losing three wickets in the powerplay. Nicholas Pooran (44 off 30) attempted to stabilize the innings, but the rest of the batting order failed to capitalize. The team managed to post 171/7 in their 20 overs, which ultimately proved insufficient.

For Punjab, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was the standout performer, finishing with three crucial wickets. His final-over strikes, which included dismissals of Abdul Samad and Ayush Badoni, restricted LSG from posting a competitive total.

Punjab Kings Dominate Chase with Ease

In response, PBKS openers gave their team a flying start, with Prabhsimran Singh smashing 69 off just 34 balls. Skipper Shreyas Iyer (52* off 30) played a steady knock, ensuring the chase was never in doubt. Punjab controlled both powerplays—first by restricting LSG’s batting and then by capitalizing on the conditions to chase down the target in just 16.2 overs, winning comfortably with 22 balls to spare.

Zaheer Khan on the Need for Home Advantage

Zaheer Khan stressed the importance of home advantage in IPL and expressed hope that such a situation wouldn’t repeat itself in upcoming matches. “That’s something which we’ll figure out. It’s a new setup for me also here. But I hope that this is the first and the last game when it comes to that, because you are disappointing the Lucknow fans as well. They’ve come up with so much expectations of winning the first home game here. As a team, we are confident, you know, we accept that we’ve lost the game, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to make that impact in the home leg. We still have six more games to go here,” he added.

With six more home matches remaining, LSG will be looking to bounce back and ensure they capitalize on home conditions in the upcoming fixtures.