Rishabh Pant’s season is slipping further under pressure as Lucknow Super Giants continue to languish at the foot of the IPL 2026 table. While LSG made a promising adjustment to their batting order and posted a strong 228-run total against Mumbai Indians on Monday, the match turned on an unexpected chase—MI’s openers Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton largely handled the workload, steering the run chase with 8 balls remaining. With fresh questions now being raised about Pant’s captaincy, former South Africa fast-bowling great Shaun Pollock has been especially direct in his criticism.
What went wrong for Lucknow and why Pollock is critical
Pollock pointed to LSG’s bowling choices as a key area where the plan fell short. In his view, Lucknow needed to lean more into spin, particularly through Aiden Markram’s bowling, especially after MI’s batters were settling while LSG’s pace attack struggled to control the early phase of the chase.
He also took issue with the way LSG managed their bowling resources during the innings. Pollock highlighted that Lucknow used only five bowlers and did not turn to Markram as an “extra option” when the situation demanded more variety. The former international suggested that Avesh Khan’s skill set should have been central to the bowling strategy rather than tinkered with—arguing that Avesh’s effectiveness typically comes from attacking the right length, not from being forced into unfamiliar execution under pressure.
Pollock further explained that when Avesh Khan came into the attack, his approach appeared to drift away from what works best for him, with yorkers attempted at a time and in a rhythm that did not translate into the kind of impact that would disrupt the openers. In Pollock’s assessment, the yorkers were not close enough to their intended target, allowing the MI top order to punish the deliveries.
He added another tactical concern, saying that by bringing in Inglis, LSG may have sacrificed the balance that could have been achieved through an international bowling presence suited to the match conditions—something he felt would have helped the side manage the chase more effectively.
“Aimless” captaincy and lack of wicket plans
Beyond bowling tactics, Pollock also questioned Pant’s leadership approach. He described Pant as an “aimless captain,” implying that when MI’s top order surged, Lucknow did not appear to have clear, actionable plans to either take regular wickets or slow the scoring rate. Pollock suggested that the impression from the outside was that LSG were not executing a defined pathway to break partnerships, but rather hoping the openers would eventually lose their rhythm.
In his comments, Pollock said that at times it can look as though a captain lacks direction in games like this—especially when two batters at the top are playing freely. He argued that while MI’s openers were performing at the top of their game, LSG did not seem to respond with a specific set of match-up tactics or a clearly different bowling strategy designed to force a breakthrough.
LSG’s playoff hopes fade as Pant’s personal numbers flatten
With only two victories from nine matches in the IPL 2026 season so far, Lucknow’s pursuit of a playoff spot is now looking increasingly unlikely. For Pant personally, the season has not taken off either: he has scored 204 runs at a strike rate of 120 and an average of 25. With LSG’s form struggling to improve, the defeat to MI has only heightened doubts about how the team—and its captain—will navigate what remains of the campaign.
