Pant bemoans injuries to key players as Lucknow drop out of IPL playoff race

Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant said injuries had derailed his side's Indian Premier League campaign after they were eliminated from the playoffs race with a six-wicket defeat by Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday.

Lucknow made 205 but allowed their opponents to chase down the total in 18.2 overs, leaving them with only pride to play for in their remaining two matches against Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The prolonged absence of key players, including pace bowlers Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav, stalled Lucknow's momentum this year, while Pant also faced plenty of criticism for his dismal form with the bat after managing just 135 runs in 12 matches.

"It definitely could have been one of our best seasons," Pant told the official broadcaster. "Getting into the tournament, we knew we had lots of gaps because of injuries. As a team, we decided we're not going to talk about it but it became more and more difficult to close those gaps."

With seamers Avesh Khan and Akash Deep also struggling for fitness throughout, Lucknow never had a settled playing side.

"The way we planned the auction, if we would have had the same bowling attack, obviously the story would be different. At the same time, this is cricket, things can happen," Pant added. "Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don't. We take pride in the way we played. We'll still look at the positives of this season rather than discus the negative side."

Gujarat, Bengaluru and Punjab Kings have already qualified for the playoffs, and will be joined by either Mumbai Indians or Delhi Capitals, who meet on Wednesday.