Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran (ANI Photo) Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant is set to finish third in the IPL season which could start on March 28. The stakes are high for Pant, who heads into his second season as LSG captain, with the franchise pocketing a record Rs 27 crore for his services in the 2025 mega auction.After last year’s disappointment, a successful season as both the leader and top batsman can be part of India’s T20 plans going forward. Across formats, Pant is only an integral member of the Indian Test side and is also the back-up wicketkeeper to KL Rahul in ODIs.
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The 28-year-old lost his place in the T20 squad following India’s 2024 World Cup triumph and would have to do something special to make a comeback as Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan have themselves been automatically selected on the sheer weight of their recent performances.Therefore, the upcoming IPL is not only about delivering at an exorbitant price, but also about staying relevant in the shortest format.Pant batted prominently at number four last season before making a proper run at number three late in the season when it was too late for LSG’s turnaround. Nicholas Pooran moves down the order to make way for Pant, with the number four, five and six used as floating positions.The team had a camp in Chennai and are currently going through the paces at their home ground in Lucknow ahead of their opening game against Delhi Capitals on April 1. The support staff led by Justin Langer and Pant are on the same page when it comes to their leader’s batting position.“It is clear to both the team management and Pant that his game is best suited at number three. This season, the top order is locked with Aiden, Marsh and Pant. The middle order is flexible and players will move according to the game situation,” an IPL source told PTI.
Flexible middle order settings
Pant batted at an astonishing rate of 133.17 last year and 118 of his 269 runs came in just one innings. LSG’s middle order consists of Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad and Shabaz Ahmed.Bowling was LSG’s weakest link last season as pacers including Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan were unavailable due to injuries. Other pace options include Avesh Khan and Anrich Nortje who is another quick injury.“The batting is settled. The bowling line-up looks much better than last year but the combinations still need to be worked on. Mayank is fit but needs to bowl a lot more in the nets. Hopefully he will repay the faith the team has shown him in the last four-five years,” the source added.
