IPL 2026: Rishabh Pant forcing it at the top? Lucknow Super Giants need a rethink

India wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant didn’t get off to a great start to his Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) campaign against Delhi Capitals (DC), being dismissed for 7 (9) in the most unfortunate manner. Pant was found out of his crease at the non-striker’s end as his opening partner Mitchell Marsh hit Mukesh Kumar straight down the ground, but the ball brushed Kumar’s fingers and went on to hit the stumps.

As a result, Pant’s poor form in IPL continued with the LSG skipper failing to prove his worth in the league over the past few years. The wicketkeeper batter hasn’t had a remarkable season since 2018, when he scored a massive 684 runs from 14 innings. Since then, Pant has crossed the 400-run mark thrice but hasn’t had a massive impact.

With an aim to play with full freedom and dictate terms right from the word go, Pant has decided to open the innings this season. The southpaw has started the innings just six times in his IPL career, accumulating 132 runs at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 128.15 with a highest score of 69.

Last season, making his debut for LSG, Pant continued to shuffle himself up and down in the batting order in search of form, until he slammed a century batting at number three in the last fixture. However, this season, with the added pressure of making it to the playoffs, the LSG skipper has promoted himself up the order to find his Midas touch.

Are LSG making a mistake?

As a result, LSG had to change their tried-and-tested opening pair of Marsh and Aiden Markram. Following his failure in the opening fixture against DC, Pant was asked if he would continue to open for the entire season, and the LSG skipper replied, saying, “It’s a 50-50 call.”

However, if Pant does open, LSG run the risk of jeopardising their opening combo of Markram and Marsh, which was the second-best in 2025, having added 574 runs from 12 innings. Markram is coming into the IPL on the back of rich form in the T20 World Cup 2026, which further strengthens his case to open the innings.

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen also shared his thoughts on Pant’s batting position after LSG’s loss, highlighting that he might’ve gone a bit too far in trying to bat at the top of the order.

Pietersen warns Pant

“When you look at the strength and depth of LSG's batting, is Rishabh Pant really an opening batter? I think he might have gone a little too far ahead of where he was in the line-up compared to last year," Pietersen said on JioHotstar.

Pietersen further mentioned that opening the batting will add to the pressure on Pant.

"Last year, he moved down the order, and now suddenly it's, ‘I'm going to come up to the top.’ I think he just needs to go out and enjoy his cricket. Don’t force yourself into batting at three; enjoy the luxury of that position. I think he puts himself under tremendous pressure by opening the batting," he added.

What's the way forward?

To make matters worse for the LSG skipper, his team owner, Sanjiv Goenka, was seen having his usual animated chat with the support staff and Pant after their loss in the opening encounter. The entire turn of events would’ve only done more harm than good to Pant’s confidence, this early into the season.

With him now set to open, which is one of the most crucial batting positions in T20 cricket, as the openers often dictate the tempo of the innings, Pant must ensure that he isn’t pushing himself too hard for the greater good of the team. If he fails to deliver, the LSG skipper must acknowledge his shortcomings and restore their old successful opening combo, while settling at a batting position for the rest of the season.

The constant chop and change in the batting order isn’t going to help his cause. Especially when he’s dealing with the added pressure of captaincy and forcing his way back into the Indian T20I side.