Captain Rishabh Pant will reportedly take up the number three spot in Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) batting order for IPL 2026.
Last season, Pant mostly operated at number four before promoting himself to
number three for two of the last three matches. But by then, LSG were already well out of the playoff race. A century in a dead-rubber against Royal Challengers Bengaluru elevated his stats a bit, but till then, he had managed 151 runs at an average of 13.73 and a strike-rate of 107.09.
His batting position remained a big talking point throughout the campaign, especially when he opened in one match and dropped down to number seven in another, both failing miserably. Now, according to PTI, with Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh expected to open, Pant is set to anchor the top order, while the middle order will remain fluid.
As part of that reshuffle, the report said, Nicholas Pooran will drop down, with positions four to six likely to be adjusted between Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad and Shahbaz Ahmed based on match situations. Head coach Justin Langer and the support staff are said to be aligned with Pant on his batting role.
“It is clear to the team management as well as Pant that his game is best suited for number three. This season the top-order is locked in with Aiden, Marsh and Pant. The middle-order is flexible and players will be floated as per the game situation,” PTI quoted a IPL source as saying.
The team has already completed a preparatory camp in Chennai and is currently training in Lucknow ahead of their opening fixture against Delhi Capitals on April 1.
Why is Rishabh Pant under pressure?
After being bought for a record Rs 27 crore in the 2025 mega auction, Pant finds himself at a crossroads. A solid performance with the bat and on the field as captain could not only buy him more time at LSG but also get him back into the conversations for India’s ODI and T20I setups.
A bad show like last year, however, will be all but giving up the latter and could test the patience of an LSG management group that’s not necessarily famous for patience.
