Will Rishabh Pant play tonight in PBKS vs LSG clash of IPL 2026?
(Courtesy : BCCI/IPL)
Rishabh Pant has captained Lucknow Super Giants since IPL 2025.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have started their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign with middling returns, having won two out of their first five matches. In their most recent match against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), LSG were outplayed, thanks to an incredible display of fast bowling by the home team.
LSG‘s big guns in Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran are yet to come to the party, which has thereby affected the batting unit. The bowling too has lacked the bite it had in the initial games, with Mohsin Khan still being sidelined due to injury.
They face the tall task of beating the only unbeaten team, Punjab Kings (PBKS), in the IPL 2026 season so far. In their home yard at New Chandigarh, Shreyas Iyer and his men will be raring to complete yet another win.
Fresh off their one-sided win against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede, the 2025 finalists will be full of confidence as they come up against a depleted LSG.
Will Rishabh Pant play tonight in PBKS vs LSG clash of IPL 2026?
In LSG’s previous match against RCB, captain Rishabh Pant was hit on his elbow while attempting to play the pull shot against Josh Hazlewood, forcing him to leave the field. While he returned later in the innings, he managed to score just one run before losing his wicket to Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Subsequently, Pant did not return to the field when RCB was batting, with Nicholas Pooran performing the duties of the stand-in captain instead.
However, a day prior to Sunday night’s fixture, Bharat Arun, LSG’s bowling coach, provided an encouraging update on Pant’s availability:
“He is perfectly alright, fit enough to play tomorrow,” LSG bowling coach Bharat Arun told the media.
Rishabh Pant has so far scored only 104 runs in the first five matches, at a modest strike rate of 122.35. For a player who is earning the highest pay cheque in IPL history of INR 27 Crore, Pant needs to do much better.
With his availability confirmed for the PBKS clash, Pant will have to lead from the front if he wishes to hand Punjab Kings their first loss of the season.
Will Rishabh Pant play in PBKS vs LSG IPL 2026 match?
Yes, LSG bowling coach Bharat Arun confirmed that Rishabh Pant is fit and available to play.
What injury did Rishabh Pant suffer?
Pant was hit on the elbow while playing a pull shot in the previous match against RCB.
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Aniruddh Seshadri Iyer is a passionate sports journalist at Khel Now, specializing in tennis and Olympic sports. An engineer by training, he found his storytelling passion through iconic Grand Slam and Olympic moments. Known for sharp analysis and insightful coverage, he draws inspiration from Novak Djokovic’s resilience. Outside journalism, he enjoys reading, traveling, and playing the guitar.