A hefty price tag has not influenced Rishabh Pant’s batting rhythm, and Lucknow Super Giants skipper Bharat Arun believes the wicketkeeper-batter is only one innings away from returning to his best touch. Pant was bought by LSG for a massive Rs 27 crore in the mega auction held ahead of the previous IPL season, yet he has struggled to make a consistent impact with the bat since joining the franchise. LSG finished seventh in his debut campaign in charge of the side, with Pant collecting 269 runs across 14 matches at a strike rate of 127.50, including one hundred and one fifty. This season, Lucknow are sitting at the foot of the table, having managed just two wins from eight games, and Pant’s numbers remain modest as well—189 runs so far at a strike rate of 126.84, with one half-century.
Asked whether the investment had any bearing on Pant’s recent returns, Arun dismissed the idea outright. “I don’t think the price tag has got to do anything with it,” Arun said. He added that Pant’s batting across the board shows the bigger picture, pointing to a recent match where the batter helped take the team through the finish. “It’s just a question of, if you really look at his batting throughout and if you look at the second game that we played, he took us through the (finish) line. I wouldn’t be too concerned about his form. It’s just a question of (him being) one innings away from getting back his form,” Arun told reporters on Sunday before LSG’s session at the Wankhede Stadium.
The former India bowling coach also suggested that the situation for Lucknow is straightforward as the group stage reaches its final stretch—every remaining fixture has the pressure of a knockout. “Every remaining game in the group stage of the IPL will be a knockout game for LSG,” Arun said. “There is light at the end of the tunnel. For us, we have no other way to go. Every game is a knockout for us right from here,” he added.
Arun further noted that over-analysis of statistics will not change anything, stressing that attention should stay on execution and clarity on what the team believes it can do well. “I don’t think reading too much into data would really help. It’s just that how we perform and how we focus on the things that we are confident about matters the most,” he said.
On the fitness front, Arun said the coaching staff has put substantial effort into ensuring Mohsin Khan stays in shape through the off-season, and the results are now showing on the field. “Injuries are an inherent part of a fast bowler’s career. You can probably delay the onset of injuries. But every bowler can get injured,” Arun remarked.
He explained that the preparation began well before the season, with multiple camps and a structured workload built around strength and conditioning support. “We have had camps two and a half months prior to this and our strength and training coach and the physios have really worked on him at least three months in advance for him to come back and remain in peak form. The kind of work he put into his fitness is reaping rewards right now,” Arun reiterated.
Arun also maintained that Mayank Yadav is fully fit and has been bowling at pace, while selection decisions will still be taken by the team’s management. “That’s for the team management to decide. But if you ask me if he’s fit, I would say yes, he’s fit and ready to go right now. He’s bowling quick and he’s back to his old ways where he started,” Arun said.
Turning to India’s fast-bowling scene, Arun spoke about Mohammed Shami and suggested that his mindset is the reason people keep questioning why he is not part of the national squad despite his performances. “Shami’s mindset is very, very clear. On numerous occasions, he (has) said, ‘selection is not in my hands but to do well is in my hands’. That’s exactly what he’s doing,” Arun said.
Arun added that Shami’s bowling form has been strong enough to trigger public debate around his absence, but he indicated the decision ultimately rests with factors outside the bowler’s control. “If you look at the form in which he’s bowling, everybody now is talking ‘why is Shami not in the national team?’ I think it’s totally up to him. He enjoys his bowling (and) that is what he says,” Arun remarked.
In Mumbai Indians’ camp, Rohit Sharma continued his fitness work with drills. Mumbai were not scheduled to train on Sunday following their game against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk the previous night, but Rohit Sharma—along with head coach Mahela Jayawardene—still arrived at the team’s home ground. On his comeback trail, Rohit started with light warm-ups with two members of the support staff accompanying him, then did some easy running before spending a short spell in the nets with the bat.
