When Rishabh Pant joined Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, it was expected that the left-handed batter would set the stage on fire. Everyone is aware of the talent he possesses, hence it was no surprise to see the wicketkeeper-batter fetching INR 27 crore in the mega auction to become the costliest player in the history of the tournament. However, the association between LSG and Pant has not yielded results so far, with the franchise in danger of missing the playoffs in the IPL 2026 season as well.
To make matters worse, Pant’s form with the bat hasn’t been great. Last year, he managed to surpass the 200-run mark only because of his century against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and this year, the runs have once again been hard to come by, with the batter managing just 189 runs in eight matches at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 149.
His only match-winning knock came against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, when he hit an unbeaten 68 to take his team over the line at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Amid the barren run, Pant received support from LSG bowling coach Bharat Arun, who said that the skipper is not getting bogged down by the price tag and it’s just a matter of one innings before he comes good.
“I don’t think Rishabh has been bogged down by the price tag in the last two years. He took us over the line in the second match. It is just a question of one innings,” Arun told reporters in the pre-match press conference ahead of the match against the Mumbai Indians.
Lucknow Super Giants are currently tenth in the IPL 2026 standings with just two wins in eight matches. The franchise must win all of its remaining fixtures to have any chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
Pant’s misfortunes
Pant began the IPL 2026 season as an opener, walking out to bat alongside Mitchell Marsh. However, the experiment lasted just one game, as he started batting at No. 3 in the next few games. However, Pant has failed to strike big and consistently move the scoreboard.
Pant’s underwhelming season with the bat has coincided with the team’s poor performance on the field. The wicketkeeper-batter has become a subject of discussion even more due to the lacklustre show by Nicholas Pooran, who is yet to even surpass the 100-run mark in eight matches for the franchise this season.
The only bright spots for LSG in IPL 2026 have been the pacers Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav. However, the underperforming batters have led to the downfall of the franchise and the team is languishing at the bottom of the points table.