Six consecutive defeats, almost out of playoff race:Rishabh Pant leads flop batting show; what’s wrong with LSG?

On paper, the Lucknow Super Giants easily look like one of the formidable teams in IPL 2026. A blockbuster opening pair of Aiden Markram and Mitchell Starc, a stacked batting line-up featuring Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran and a talented all-Indian bowling attack led by Mohammed Shami, the team had all the makings of becoming a dominant force, if not champions. But interestingly, cricket isn’t played on paper and teams built on fantasy apps don’t always click. Probably that’s the best way one can explain Lucknow Super Giants’ fall this season. A revamped brand image, yet old mistakes are being repeated, and LSG continue to slump with six straight losses in the tournament.
But why has that happened? Let’s take a look. 1) Poor batting form One of the key areas that LSG have struggled with is batting. Despite the presence of some of the most explosive names (on paper), LSG’s batting unit just has not clicked. And it has been one of the biggest reasons behind their flop show in IPL 2026. Let’s understand this statistically. No LSG batter features within the top 20 in the list of highest run-scorers this season. In a tournament where the pitches have mostly been flat and a plethora of batting records have gone for a toss, LSG’s batting unit has struggled to get going. Whether it’s chasing 255 or just 119, irrespective of surface and game situation, LSG have collectively failed as a batting unit. Mitchell Marsh is LSG’s highest run-scorer with 256 runs to his name in nine matches. His strike has been underwhelmingly low at 139.13. Only three LSG batters have scored in excess of 200 runs, with Aiden Markram (224) and Rishabh Pant (204) being the other two. And their strike rates also cut a sorry picture, with the highest one being that of 145.79 by Mukul Choudhary, who has fizzled out after just one special performance. 2) The Rishabh Pant problem To clarify, in no way is this intended to call out Rishabh Pant as being the problem for LSG’s woes this season. That is absolutely not the case. But instead, what it means is that LSG have had a Rishabh Pant problem to fix. Pant shattered records before the 2024 IPL auction when LSG splashed a whopping Rs 27 crore to acquire his services. It goes without saying that Pant is a special player- the fact that four franchises went all out for him explains that fact. But has he lived up to the expectations in the IPL? A big bold no. When performance dips, the price tag comes into the picture. Pant has not been able to justify the tag of fetching the highest amount of money ever at an IPL auction. One of the primary reasons for that is the fact that Pant has not been able to crack his T20 game, especially in the last two IPL seasons. At the time of writing, Pant has played 23 IPL matches in the last two seasons, scoring 273 runs. The left-hander has had a strike rate of 131.02 in the said period of time and has not been able to make the impact desired of him. Another reason for his batting woes can be attributed to his captaincy. Is the weight of leadership weighing him down? Being the captain of an IPL team isn’t easy, and Justin Langer’s statement on Pant echoes this. “Leadership is tough, and he’s carrying a lot of pressure for the team,” the Australian had said while throwing his weight behind the LSG captain. 3) Lack of experience in bowling It goes without saying that the best aspect of LSG’s performance this season has been their bowling contingent, especially the pace attack. But the fact that this attack lacks considerable experience has stung Lucknow on a number of occasions. Mohammed Shami was traded to LSG from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 10 crore, and the premier pacer has made an impact for his team this season. In nine matches, Shami has picked up eight wickets with his best being a stellar 2/9 against SRH earlier in the season. Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan have played their parts as well, but there aren’t many things that beat experience. Avesh Khan is the next best when it comes to experience, but his performances have been error-strewn to say the least. Yes, LSG’s bowling unit has stood out, but the fact that they have not defended any total in four opportunities cuts a sorry picture for the bowling contingent. The absence of quality overseas options in the pace department may be among the reasons. 4) Baffling team selections, inconsistent batting order One of the clear and loud reasons for LSG’s struggles this season has been baffling team selections and having an inconsistent batting order. Pant, who is yet to cement a particular slot for himself in the batting order, opened in the first match and then dropped down to the middle-order. Aiden Markram, who had success with Marsh at the top of the order, suddenly found himself relegated to number five when LSG were tasked with chasing down 255 against the Punjab Kings, with Ayush Badoni gaining an unlikely promotion to the top of the order. Not having a seasoned domestic performer in Shahbaz Ahmed as a regular feature of the team (even as an Impact Player) has been baffling to say the least. His exclusion can be an explanation for LSG not doing enough in the spin department this season. Playing Nicholas Pooran out of position has not helped either. Despite his success at number three, the left-hander has been pushed to number four and even number five. And when he returned at three, he made an immediate impact with a 23-ball 61 against the Mumbai Indians. Despite promising to deliver, LSG’s season might be as good as over, with just two wins in nine matches. Although mathematically not out yet, Pant and co realistically don’t stand any chance of making it to the playoffs.