IPL 2026: ‘Clarity is missing’- Rishabh Pant opens up on LSG’s disastrous season
Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant admitted that lack of clarity around roles and constant chopping and changing in the batting order seriously hurt the team during their disappointing IPL 2026 campaign.
Speaking at the toss ahead of LSG’s crucial clash against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow on Thursday, Pant said the franchise has struggled to maintain clarity within the team, which he believes has played a major role in their poor season.
“The only thing is to move with more clarity. We know we are the best players, but at the same time, when clarity is missing sometimes, that can happen in cricket,” Pant said.
“So most of the time we talk about clarity, and there are some changes in the batting order, so I hope we can understand it and accept it for next season,” he added.
LSG finds itself in a desperate situation heading into the match. While RCB are at third place in the IPL 2026 points table with 12 points from nine matches, Lucknow have managed just four points in the same number of matches and are looking at being knocked out of the playoff race.
A defeat against Bengaluru would make LSG the first team to be officially eliminated this season, while a win for RCB would propel them to the top of the table ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings.
Pant, who has been under immense pressure both as captain and batting, also stressed the importance of maintaining stability within a T20 team, although he admitted that the team had been forced to explore changes due to their position in the tournament.
“Having a stable environment in T20 cricket is essential, but at the same time, when changes are required, you should be able to change something because every time, doing the same thing might not give you the same result,” Pant explained.
“So trying sometimes, especially where we are right now, trying is definitely not a bad option,” he added.
Pant also gave his assessment of the Lucknow surface ahead of the must-win clash and predicted a comparatively better batting wicket than the teams have experienced at the venue this season.
“It looks like a 180-190 wicket for sure. It’s definitely a better wicket than a lot of matches,” he said.
The season has been equally difficult for Pant personally. The wicketkeeper-batsman struggled to make a major impact with the bat and scored 204 runs in nine matches at an average of 25.50 and a strike rate of 128.30.
