Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has made a bold statement on Rishabh Pant’s preparations for the upcoming IPL 2026, where the wicketkeeper-batter is set to lead the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The new season is set to get underway on March 28 in Bengaluru.
Looking at his practice sessions, Rishabh Pant is fully ready for a strong comeback with Lucknow Super Giants in the upcoming tournament after working hard in the last few months to change his game and fitness. He has already lost his place in India’s white-ball teams.
Rishabh Pant works hard on fitness and basics with Yuvraj Singh before LSG pre-season
Now, the left-handed batter is hungry to prove himself again to regain his spot on the Indian side. Last season was a complete disaster for both Pant and the LSG. Now, the Indian wicketkeeper-batter is trying to turn things around in the world’s biggest T20 league.
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Before joining LSG’s pre-season camp in Chennai at Coaching Beyond, which is the former India bowling coach Bharat Arun’s academy, Pant spent five days in Mumbai with Yuvraj Singh. The former World Cup winner helped players like Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma improve their game.
That prompted the LSG skipper to take important lessons from the legendary all-rounder during crucial sessions. Pant focused on basics, keeping his shape right, improving his bat swing, and making better shot decisions. Yuvraj’s plan for Pant was to go back to basics and play smart cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin gives bold take on Pant ahead of IPL 2026
Reacting to the widely discussed move of Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin said that training under Yuvraj could really help the LSG skipper this season. The former all-rounder suggested that Pant should bat at the top, either as an opener or No. 3, to deliver his best for him and the franchise’s best interest.
Ashwin said in a video posted on his YouTube channel, “Maybe if he practices with Yuvraj Singh, he will perform well. This could be the Midas touch that Rishabh Pant needs. But if they want to use Rishabh Pant well, Rishabh Pant should be opening the batting or batting at No. 3, according to me. He should not bat below that.”
Ashwin says opening slot srucial for Pant to make Lucknow Super Giants dangerous
However, the Lucknow Super Giants will face a tricky situation if they decide to go with both Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram, yet Ashwin insisted that Pant should play as an opener because he feels the skipper can completely change the game in the powerplay itself.
Ashwin further noted, “If you want to go with Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram, then where do you play Rishabh? The ideal number to get the best out of him has to be opening the batting because if your captain is firing, that team looks very, very different, and Rishabh Pant, inside the powerplay, will have fewer problems to sort out.”
LSG Squad for IPL 2026:
Batters: Rishabh Pant, Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary
All-Rounders: Mitchell Marsh, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahamad, Ayush Badoni
Bowlers: Mohammad Shami, Avesh Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar
