When Rishabh Pant arrived at Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL 2025 season, expectations were sky-high. A left-handed batter with the kind of match-changing ability Pant has shown over the years, he was always going to be a centerpiece. The mega auction only amplified that pressure: Lucknow paid INR 27 crore to secure him, making him the most expensive player in the competition’s history. Yet, the early promise has not translated into the performances the franchise would have wanted, and Lucknow now finds itself staring at a real possibility of missing out on the playoffs in IPL 2026 as well.
To make the situation tougher, Pant’s batting rhythm hasn’t been where it needs to be. In the previous season, he managed to cross the 200-run mark largely thanks to a standout century against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This time around, runs have been hard to come by. In eight matches so far, Pant has scored 189 runs at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 149—numbers that have not consistently given Lucknow the momentum they rely on from their wicketkeeper-batter.
Even so, Pant has had moments that suggest he can still swing games. His only clear match-winning contribution came against Sunrisers Hyderabad, when he finished unbeaten on 68 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, helping Lucknow cross the line. Beyond that, though, the output has been inconsistent, leaving the franchise to look for answers in both planning and execution.
Behind the scenes, Lucknow’s bowling mentor Bharat Arun has attempted to steady the narrative around the captain’s form. Arun said the price tag should not be treated as a burden and insisted that it’s only a matter of time before Pant finds his groove with the bat again. Speaking to reporters during the pre-match build-up ahead of Lucknow’s encounter with Mumbai Indians, Arun said he does not link Pant’s current returns to what Lucknow paid for him, pointing instead to the need for one big innings to shift momentum.
“I don’t think the price tag has anything to do with Rishabh Pant’s form. If you really look at his batting, you look at the second game we played, he took us over the line. I wouldn’t be too concerned with his form. It is just a question of one good innings and coming back into form,” Arun said.
The wider context matters, because Lucknow’s struggles are not limited to one individual. In IPL 2026, the franchise is currently positioned tenth in the standings. Lucknow has managed only two wins from eight matches, meaning the margin for error is extremely small. To keep qualification within reach, the team will effectively need to win all of its remaining fixtures to stand a chance of reaching the playoffs.
Pant’s personal campaign has also come with shifting roles. He began IPL 2026 as an opener, walking out to bat alongside Mitchell Marsh. However, that approach lasted only briefly; in the following games, Pant was moved to the No. 3 spot. The change in batting order did not, at least so far, produce the kind of sustained impact Lucknow would hope for—Pant has struggled to put up big scores regularly and to consistently move the scoreboard in a decisive direction.
There’s another layer to the problem: Lucknow’s batting overall has not been functioning as a unit, and that has coincided with their on-field difficulties. Pant’s muted output has naturally drawn more attention, but it has not been the only issue. Nicholas Pooran has also had a disappointing season, with the wicketkeeper-batter yet to reach even the 100-run mark in eight matches for Lucknow this year. When both key batting figures fail to deliver, it becomes harder for any individual to compensate.
In contrast, Lucknow’s most notable positives have come from their bowling attack. Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav have provided moments of control and penetration, keeping the team competitive even when the batting fails to set or chase targets effectively. Still, the underperformance of the batters has been the central reason for Lucknow’s decline, and the franchise now finds itself stuck near the bottom of the points table—an uncomfortable position for a side that once promised much more with Pant as a marquee addition.
