IPL 2026: Will Rishabh Pant make big changes for IPL 2026? Lucknow’s title confirmed this season!

By Samira Vishwas On Mar 22, 2026

Before IPL 2026, big news came out about Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant. According to the report, this season Pant can make a big change in his batting order and land at number-3. This decision is considered very important for his career, because this season can prove to be make or break for him.

Pant was bought for a record price of Rs 27 crore in the 2025 mega auction. In such a situation, the team has big expectations from him. Last season, he was mostly seen batting at number-4, but in the last matches, he promoted himself to number-3. However, by then it was too late and the team’s performance had been affected.

Now both the team management and coach Justin Langer agree that Pant’s game is more effective at number 3. The top order of the team is also considered almost certain, which will include Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh and Pant. For this, Nicholas Pooran will be sent down in the middle order, while numbers 4, 5 and 6 will be used as floating positions.

For Pant, this season is not just limited to performing well in the IPL, but is also very important for making a comeback in the Indian T20 team. At present, he is an important member of the Test team while in ODI, he is seen as the backup wicketkeeper of KL Rahul. Players like Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan have strengthened their place in the T20 format.

Pant’s performance in the last season was nothing special. He scored 269 runs, of which 118 runs came in a single innings and his strike rate was 133.17. In such a situation, this time he will be expected to perform well continuously.

Even though the team’s batting looks strong, the bowling was the weak link last season. Bowlers like Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan were not available due to injuries. Now Mayank is fit, but he needs more practice to get into rhythm. Apart from this, Avesh Khan and Enrique Norkhia are also part of the pace attack.

Meanwhile, former South African captain Faf Du Plessis has described Pant as the player facing the most pressure in this IPL. He believes that as captain, Pant will have to score runs himself, only then the pressure on the team will be reduced.

Overall, IPL 2026 is a big opportunity for Pant. If he is successful in playing his role at number-3, then not only the fortunes of Lucknow Super Giants can change, but the path of his return to Team India can also become easy.