Rishabh Pant sustained a serious injury right at the start of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru versus Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2026 clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Pant walked in during the third over after Aiden Markram was dismissed, but his stay at the crease lasted only a handful of deliveries. Facing Josh Hazlewood, he faced just three balls before the batter reacted to the impact and immediately felt intense pain.
The injury occurred on the fourth ball of the fourth over when Pant was struck on his left elbow. The delivery was short, and Pant tried to launch it with a big, aggressive swing across the line. Replays confirmed the ball had come directly onto his left elbow. As the physio rushed in, Pant remained visibly distressed and could be seen in clear discomfort while treatment was administered. He was so affected that he nearly reached tears as he made his way off the field, and before the retirement, he even turned to Hazlewood to show the bruised elbow.
Pant retired hurt, and the incident was immediately viewed as a major blow for RCB’s plans in the contest.
Marsh: T20 totals of 200 no longer guaranteed
Earlier in the day, Lucknow Super Giants opener and Australia’s T20 captain Mitchell Marsh suggested that the way T20 cricket has evolved means even scores around the 200-mark are not automatically safe. Speaking ahead of the 23rd match of IPL 2026 against defending champions RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Marsh said that the modern game is more nuanced—especially depending on how the pitch and conditions behave.
“Look, I think condition-wise, it probably is if you get a good wicket,” Marsh said. “In the past, if you made 200, you’d go out to bowl feeling extremely confident. Now it’s probably a different question: do we got enough?”
The Australian all-rounder added that unpredictability has made the format even more entertaining, pointing to the chance of a high-scoring night without any certainty that such totals will always hold up. “So it’s exciting to watch, and hopefully there’s lots of runs tonight,” he said.
Powerplay pressure rising for openers
Marsh also highlighted how expectations for batters at the top of the order have increased, with teams increasingly demanding hard-hitting starts during the powerplay. He noted that the modern approach has become more aggressive and routine, citing what he has observed in recent weeks—particularly from younger players.
“65-70? It’s probably more like 90 these days. I must admit, I’ve watched a few of these young boys, certainly the young Indians, the way they’ve gone about the power play,” Marsh said. “I’ve sat in my room over the last few weeks and gone, ‘gee, we need to go pretty hard here.’ So it’s a new element to the game. It’s certainly exciting, and hopefully Aiden and I can get us off to a flier tonight.”
Marsh further discussed his growing connection on the field with fellow opener Aiden Markram, underlining the value of understanding and camaraderie between batting partners as the innings gets underway.
