'Go Back To The Drawing Board': LSG Captain Rishabh Pant's T20 Credentials Face Severe Scrutiny Ahead Of IPL 2026

Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant faced a lot of scrutiny after he was snapped up by the franchise for a record-breaking INR 27 crore. Except for a century in the last game, Pant failed to justify his price tag, and LSG went on to finish 7th in the points table. Ahead of the IPL 2026, the onus will be on the Indian wicket-keeper to turn back the clock in his favour.

Rishabh Pant Faces Reality Check Ahead Of IPL 2026

Rishabh will lead LSG once again in IPL 2026 with renewed vigour. The India star has been a key part of India's Test setup. But despite his explosive style, he has had very limited ODI and T20I appearances in the last couple of years. His last T20I match was against Sri Lanka in July 2024, while his last ODI game was also against the Lankans.

Pant's IPL stats have not been very encouraging and his poor form in the tournament has coincided with his ouster from India's white-ball setup. In 125 matches, he has accumulated 3553 runs at an average of 34.16 with a strike rate of 147.61.

Also Read: India Star KL Rahul Joins Delhi Capitals Ahead Of IPL 2026

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra feels representing India should be Pant's priority.

In an interaction with JioHotstar, he said, “The scrutiny around Rishabh Pant is justified. He is a prisoner of his own reputation for playing unorthodox shots and rarely looks to grind out runs when the situation demands it. Last season, despite opportunities to take time and rebuild his form, he continued to play risky shots, which drew criticism. Having been part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in Barbados, he is now completely out of the conversation for the national side. The selectors and management went from selecting a middle-order keeper to an opener keeper and a keeper who can bat at three. While the IPL is massive, representing India remains the ultimate priority, and losing that spot means it’s time for him to go back to the drawing board.”

Lucknow Super Giants Squad For IPL 2026

Rishabh Pant(captain), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahamad, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammad Shami, Avesh Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan.

Also Read: RCB Takeover Takes Shape, IPL 2025 Champions Sold to Aditya Birla Group-led Consortium For Jawdropping 16,720 Crore