Besides his match-winning knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant’s IPL 2026 campaign has been nothing short of a disaster. Pant's outing in the ongoing season has been marked by a big tactical adjustment. After beginning the season as an opener, the 28-year-old southpaw has been shifted down to the No. 3 position for the last six matches. While the move followed a high note, a match-winning unbeaten 68 against SRH, his form has fluctuated since. In the five innings that have followed that knock, Pant has managed only 72 runs, struggling to maintain the consistency expected of him. In total Pant has amassed just 147 runs across seven matches at an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 132.43.
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Rishabh Pant's batting, a real concern for LSG
This slump was highlighted during Wednesday’s match against the Rajasthan Royals, where Pant recorded a three-ball duck. Entering the fray after the loss of opener Ayush Badoni on the final ball of the opening over, the skipper attempted to take the attack to the bowler immediately. He charged down the pitch against Andre Burger for two consecutive deliveries before attempting an ambitious slog sweep, which resulted in him being caught by wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. This innings marked his third score of under ten runs this season.
He is feeling the pinch like everyone else: Justin Langer on Pant's form
Head coach Justin Langer addressed the situation following the match, which resulted in Lucknow’s fifth loss of the season. Langer emphasized that Pant is keen to play with freedom but is inevitably "feeling the pinch," as many batters do during a lean patch. When asked about the captain's shot selection, Langer acknowledged the frustration inherent in such a dismissal, reflecting the broader pressure on both the player and the team as they navigate this challenging phase of the tournament.
“Yeah, I have not spoken with him yet. He wants to play with freedom. We see how he plays all his cricket. He is very instinctive. He wants to play freely. He is feeling the pinch like everyone else, and he is at a pivotal position at No. 3. He came out very aggressively against Punjab. He needed to as we were chasing 250. But I think that’s the style of play he wants to play, and he will be as frustrated as anyone that it didn’t come off today,” Langer said in the post-match press conference.
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LSG's rusty IPL 2026 campaign
April 22 marked a disappointing fifth defeat of the season for LSG. The team’s campaign began on a difficult note with an opening-day loss to the Delhi Capitals, followed by a brief glimmer of hope when they secured a five-wicket victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Unfortunately, the team has struggled to build on that result; since then, they have managed only one win while suffering four losses, including the most recent setback against Rajasthan Royals.
A particularly concerning trend has been the team's inability to capitalize on home advantage. Lucknow has now lost all three of its matches played at their home ground so far. When addressing these struggles, head coach Justin Langer pointed to a clear tactical issue: the team has yet to effectively adapt to the pace and bounce of the pitches in Lucknow, which has hindered their ability to perform consistently in familiar conditions.
“The pitch here is very different from most of India. It’s a brilliant cricket pitch. You have pace and bounce, and we just haven’t quite adjusted to it. I thought we started off well by bowling well on it. We bowled well in the first game. We are just not adjusting to the extra pace and bounce. We saw that we have been out to the short ball a number of times. We are not adjusting. We see a lot of wickets in India where the ball doesn’t bounce very much. This is like playing at the WACA. There is real pace and bounce. Isn’t there? You are seeing some interesting cricket being played here, and we just haven’t been able to adapt to it at this stage,” Langer concluded.