IPL 2026: Lucknow Super Giants receive big boost as skipper Rishabh Pant cleared to play against Punjab Kings

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant will play his team's match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), thus allaying injury fears ahead of the important match.

During LSG's match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on 15 April, Rishabh Pant was hit on his left arm after facing a short length ball from Josh Hazlewood.

He seemed to be in discomfort and eventually left the field, scoring just 19 runs from 13 balls.

Rishabh Pant has scored 104 runs from five matches so far, including an unbeaten 68 off 50 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

According to medical scans, the 28-year-old only suffered a bruise and not a fracture. This allowed the Delhi wicketkeeper-batter to return to training ahead of the Punjab Kings fixture.

Lucknow Super Giants are currently in eighth place in the IPL 2026 standings, with four points from five matches. Their victories have come against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, whereas their losses have come against Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Rishabh Pant's return to the playing XI will not just be a boost for the team on paper. LSG will hope that their skipper rediscovers his form after a few disappointing outings with the bat. Apart from scoring an unbeaten half-entury, there hasn't been anything notable from Pant this season so far.

Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history after he was acquired by Lucknow Super Giants at the IPL 2025 mega auction for ₹27 crore.

He, however, endured a disappointing season with the bat, scoring just 269 runs from 14 matches. He fell for low scores for a majority of the season, but came back strongly in LSG’s final match of the season against RCB, slamming an unbeaten 118 runs from 61 balls.

LSG qualified for the IPL playoffs in 2022 and 2023, but have endured seventh place finishes in both 2024 and 2025.