NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant endured a frightening start to his IPL outing for Lucknow Super Giants against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Wednesday, with the skipper forced to leave the field early after taking a painful blow to his elbow.
Pant had only just walked out to bat and found it difficult to get his timing right against Josh Hazlewood. He was made to face three straight deliveries that yielded no runs, unable to connect cleanly with the speed and bounce coming his way. The mounting pressure then turned into an immediate problem when the situation worsened ball by ball.
On the opening delivery of the fifth over, Pant went hard at a shot across the line but missed the ball completely. The next delivery brought another attempt at a big hit, yet Hazlewood’s pace once again beat him. Then the key moment arrived with a shorter ball that struck Pant on his left elbow, leaving him clearly in discomfort as the impact landed.
Almost right away, the physio came onto the field as Pant reacted with visible pain. He attempted to continue for a brief period but was clearly struggling. In a human, emotional exchange, Hazlewood walked over and offered a reassuring pat on the back, helping settle the moment as Pant ultimately opted to retire from the game. As he made his way off, he looked close to tears, underscoring the severity of the injury concern.
With Pant unable to bat, Nicholas Pooran was brought in as the replacement batter. The swap disrupted Lucknow’s rhythm, particularly as the team had already suffered a setback earlier in the innings with Aiden Markram departing.
In the end, the early overs turned into a difficult stretch for LSG, with Pant’s injury quickly becoming the main talking point as the match moved forward.
