Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant talked about the chances of him opening in the entire IPL 2026, after his team suffered a 6-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals (DC) in their opening game at home in Lucknow on April 1.
After being asked to bat first, LSG scored only 141 runs, with Mitchell Marsh (35) and Abdul Samad (36) leading the way. Lungi Ngidi and T Natarajan shined for DC, each taking three wickets.
In the chase, LSG pacers upset DC's top order, reducing them to 26/4. But then Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs combined for an undefeated 100-plus partnership, leading DC home by six wickets. Stubbs made 39* in 32 balls, while Rizvi stood up with 70* in 47 deliveries.
“I think the best way to recover from it is to ignore it (on his unlucky run-out). I think that’s the best way looking forward because you know something like that you can’t control, but thinking about it definitely puts you on the back foot," Rishabh Pant said in the post-match interview.
“You know, the way we batted, we couldn’t get a partnership going for long. We had to get a batsman in who can bowl a little bit. And that was the option we had to take as an impact player because we were short of runs on a good surface,” he stated about being a bowler short.
Rishabh Pant talked about the LSG batting order and about Ayush Badoni batting ahead of Nicholas Pooran.
“I think the idea was very simple. Like he’s (Pooran) taking charge in the middle overs. He’s not batting in the top order anymore because I’m batting up the order. And that’s why it happened because, you know, we wanted to explore that lefty-righty option at the top, so they couldn’t bowl a left-arm spinner. Unfortunately, I got out at the wrong time. Otherwise, Axar Patel still had to bowl one over in the power play, and that gives us the edge over them. But at the same time, you know, it’s part and parcel of the game, and that’s the role we are defining for Badoni. When the situation is tough like that, when we lose early wickets, that’s the time he needs to make a mark.
No, no, definitely there was enough, definitely with the new ball (on the bowlers). But at the same time, you know, when you score 140, you are not really going to put the opposition under pressure, especially on a good wicket like this. But you know, one positive is that, you know, boys fought hard; the way we bowled, especially the way we started, definitely has some good signs going ahead in the season. See, definitely extras will hurt (on conceding 20 extras), but at the same time, you know, when a wicket like this happens, you’re trying too much, especially with a score like 14,0 where you have to get them out because if they play even normal cricket, they can get away,” Pant added.
Rishabh Pant opened for LSG in this game, and he was asked whether he would continue to open for the franchise in the rest of the games as well.
“I think it’s a 50-50 call, but we’ll see. But you will definitely see me in the top order,” Pant stated.
LSG will now travel to Hyderabad to face Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5 in a day game.
