Amid T20 mayhem, skipper Pant searches for his true self

The LSG skipper is known for his fearless attitude but has struggled to bring that out in IPL 2026

- Sanjjeev K Samyal

On the eve of the Lucknow Super Giants match against Mumbai Indians, after finishing his batting stint, Rishabh Pant caught up with Rohit Sharma. The camaraderie between the two was evident. Sitting next to the Mumbai Indians nets in the middle of the Wankhede Stadium, they talked for more than an hour.

After two tough seasons with Lucknow Super Giants, the jury is out on Rishabh Pant, the T20 player. His numbers from the last two IPL seasons reflect poorly on him as both captain and batter.

His 204 runs in nine innings have come at a strike rate of 128.30, and LSG sits at the bottom of the table with seven defeats in nine games. It is an extension of his form from last season, where he finished with 269 runs in 14 games. His tally reached over 200 runs owing to a 118 in an inconsequential last game of the season. LSG finished seventh in the 2025 IPL.

But, ask Rohit, and he will differ. For him Pant is a valuable T20 player. When he captained the India T20 side, Pant played every match of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, keeping wickets and batting at No. 3. On pitches in the United States and the Caribbean, which offered different challenges from movement to spin, Pant's strike rate was average, as it was for most batters, but he made vital contributions, scoring 171 runs at an average of 24.43.