Having started the season as an opener for Lucknow Super Giants, captain Rishabh Pant has dropped down to No. 3 for the last six matches in IPL 2026. After scoring a match-winning unbeaten 68 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the team’s second outing of the season, the 28-year-old has managed only 72 runs in his next five innings, including a three-ball duck against Rajasthan Royals in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Coming in after the fall of opener Ayush Badoni off the last ball of the first over, Pant first tried to hit Andre Burger by coming down the track on two consecutive deliveries before attempting a slog sweep, only to be caught by wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. It was Pant’s third score below ten runs this IPL. Head coach Justin Langer spoke about how Pant wants to play freely and is feeling the pinch like every other batter in the team. Wednesday’s match was Lucknow’s fifth loss of the season.
When asked whether he had spoken to Pant about his shot selection and how he views his batting, Langer shared that Pant would be frustrated after his dismissal.
“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.
Wednesday saw Lucknow suffer their fifth loss of the season. Having started with a loss against Delhi Capitals in their opening encounter, the team secured their first win of the season with a five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Since then, the team has won only one match and has lost four, including Wednesday’s fixture. The team has lost all three of its home matches in Lucknow so far.
When asked about the home losses, Langer shared that the team has not adjusted to the pace and bounce at Lucknow.
“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 said.
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LSG have mostly played with three overseas players this season, with Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, and Aiden Markram being the overseas players in the final XI. When asked whether he has run out of options given the team’s dismal form, Langer replied in the negative.
“No, I haven’t. We have got too many options. You look at the players we have got. Nicky Pooran, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant, and Mitch Marsh. He has been playing well. Ayush Badoni had a couple of good seasons with us. Mukul is the talk of the town, isn’t he? He missed out again tonight, but what a talent he is. So we certainly haven’t run out of options. We have played three overseas players for most of our games because we think so highly of the Indian talent. That’s the truth, and that’s with the ball and bat. There is so much talent, and you guys have heard me say it a million times. That’s why we have played with three overseas players so far, because of the incredible depth of talent I have here,” said Langer.
While the team’s batting has not clicked this season, bowlers like Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan have done well. Wednesday also saw pacer Mayank Yadav make a return after injury. Langer was full of praise for his bowling unit after they restricted Rajasthan Royals to 159 runs, with Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, and Prince Yadav taking two wickets each.
“Last year, our numbers were incredible, and we were ruing the fact that a lot of our bowlers were injured or coming back from injury or not quite fit. This year, our bowlers have been a real credit. I think Mohsin Khan is outstanding again. Prince Yadav, I think they both are players who will play for India. No question in my mind that they both will play for India. Super talents. Mayank came back today, which was really good. He has been out for some time after his back surgery. He is showing great courage to come back. He will be better for the run today. Shami does what he does, and he is a very crafty bowler. Digvesh Rathee bowled well today as well. I thought our fielding was excellent,” said Langer.
