Former England captain Michael Vaughan took aim at Rishabh Pant after the Lucknow Super Giants skipper gave a vague response at the toss ahead of the IPL 2026 clash between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). When Pant was asked whether he would open the batting against the Sunrisers, he replied, “We’ll see.” Vaughan felt that kind of uncertainty has no place when a captain is expected to communicate clearly from the very start.
Vaughan’s comments also referenced the thinking behind Lucknow’s batting setup in their earlier outing. In the previous match against Delhi Capitals, Pant had been backed to open alongside Mitchell Marsh, a move that drew attention given the impact Marsh and Aiden Markram made during the prior season. After Lucknow went on to lose to Delhi Capitals earlier in the week, Pant later confirmed that he would bat in the top order, while admitting the call to open was “50-50.”
Still, the English great argued that the role of a leader demands decisiveness at the toss. Vaughan questioned whether Pant’s response reflected a captain’s mindset and suggested that the wording itself raised doubts about leadership clarity. “This is probably going to be quite controversial. Maybe he’s just not a captain. Maybe. Because if he’s talking that language at the toss, you know, if you’re a captain at the toss, are you going to… Absolutely. You make it very, very clear what you’re going to do. No, I’m batting three today,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.
He added that a captain’s responsibility is to set a clear direction rather than keep things ambiguous. “Because your job as a leader is to give absolute definition in terms of clarity. And that’s why you’re not hiding anything at the toss. The team’s been picked. Maybe that’s one of the issues, just saying,” Vaughan further remarked.
How Pant fared earlier in IPL 2026
Vaughan’s criticism comes after Pant’s outing in LSG’s opening match of IPL 2026, where he struggled as an opener. He made only seven runs before an unfortunate run-out ended his innings at the non-striker’s end. The dismissal followed a powerful shot from Mitchell Marsh, with Delhi Capitals pacer Mukesh Kumar extending his arm; the ball then rolled back onto the stumps with Pant well short of his ground.
Pant will be eager to improve his output in IPL 2026, particularly after a difficult run of form last season. His figures were described as shocking, and the only notable bright spot came when he managed to score a century against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
SRH vs LSG: Pant’s toss call
Returning to the SRH vs LSG meeting, Pant won the toss and chose to bowl first. That decision quickly looked vindicated as his bowlers struck early, with Mohammed Shami removing both Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head within the powerplay.
