Lucknow Supergiants captain Rishabh Pant is likely to bat at number three in a make-or-break situation. IPL Season starting March 28. The stakes are high going into Pant’s second season as LSG captain, with the franchise shelling out a record Rs 27 crore for his services in the 2025 mega auction.After last year’s disappointment, a successful season as a leader as well as a top-order batsman could make him part of India’s T20 plans going forward. In all formats, Pant is only an integral member of the Indian Test team while KL Rahul is the backup wicket-keeper in ODIs.
Fight for a comeback in India T20.
The 28-year-old has lost his place in the T20 team since India won the World Cup in 2024 and will need to do something special to make a comeback after Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan were automatically selected on the sheer weight of their recent performances.So, the upcoming IPL is not just about delivering on a huge price tag, it is also about staying relevant in the shortest format.Pant had batted extensively at number four last season before pushing himself to number three towards the end of the season when it was too late to change LSG’s fortunes. Nicholas Puran Will move down the order to make way for Pant with number four, five, six being used as a floating position.The squad had a camp in Chennai and currently, they are going through the pace at their home ground in Lucknow ahead of their opener 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 captain’s batting position.“It is clear to the team management as well as Pant that his game is best at number three. This season the top order is locked with Eden, Marsh and Pant. The middle order is flexible and players will be prepared according to the game situation,” an IPL source told PTI.
A flexible middle order setup
Pant batted at an impressive strike rate of 133.17 last year and 118 of his 269 runs came in just one innings. The LSG middle order includes Pooran, Ayush Baduni, Abdul Samad and Shahbaz Ahmed.Bowling was LSG’s weakest link last season with pace bowlers including Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan unavailable due to injuries. Other pace options include Avish Khan and Enrich Noortje, who is another quick injury sufferer.“The batting is fine. The bowling group looks much better than last year but there is still work to be done. Mayank is fit but needs to bowl a lot in the nets. Hopefully he will repay the faith the team has shown in the last four-five years,” the source added.
