Rishabh Pant suffered a painful defeat during the ongoing IPL 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The explosive Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) wicketkeeper-batsman was forced to retire injured in the fifth over after being hit on the left elbow by a short delivery from Josh Hazlewood.
A dramatic moment on the pitch
The incident took place on the fourth ball of the fifth over. Rishabh Pant tried a wild dive across the line at a short ball outside the off stump but missed it completely. The footage confirmed that the ball came off the inside and hit him on the left elbow. He immediately looked uncomfortable, grimacing in pain as a physical therapist rushed into the middle.
Pant walked off the field in visible discomfort and ran out of the three deliveries he faced without scoring anything. Hazlewood, showing sportsmanship, gave him a comforting pat on the back. The LSG captain was unable to continue his innings, leaving fans and teammates concerned about the extent of the injury.
Rishabh Pant’s performance in IPL 2026 before injury
Rishabh Pant has had a mixed start to his IPL 2026 campaign, scoring 103 runs in 4 innings at an average of 34.3 and a strike rate of 130, with one half-century to his credit. However, he has an impressive record against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL, where he played 13 innings, amassing 539 runs at an impressive average of 53.9 and a strike rate of 158, including 4 fifties and 1 century.
Will Rishabh Pant come to bat again on the field?
Rishabh Pant was spotted in the Lucknow Super Giants dugout during an IPL 2026 match, sporting an armband and leg pads. This strongly suggests that he is fit and ready to return to the fold if needed.
Given his role as captain and key middle-order batsman for LSG, Pant is highly likely to bat again in the ongoing or upcoming innings, depending on the match situation. His presence in full batting gear suggests that the team is ready for his potential return to the field soon.
Teams Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Lucknow Super Giants
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Playing XI: Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar
Subs RCB Impact: Cast: Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Jordan Cox, Kanishk Chouhan, Mangesh Yadav
Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav.
Subs LSG Impact: Cast: Manimaran Siddharth, George Linde, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Mayank Yadav
