IPL 2026: 'He's a good player' - Justin Langer backs Rishabh Pant amid scrutiny over form and captaincy in IPL 2026

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) lost another game against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Rishabh Pant-led team is at the bottom of the points table with just four points to their name. They are not having a good tournament, but their confidence is still intact, as it was evident in the match against MI in Mumbai. LSG put up a mammoth total of 228 runs on the board thanks to Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran's innings. 

However, MI chased down the target, and the entire credit goes to Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton for their outstanding half-centuries in the game. With this win, MI have now won three out of ten games this season. The terror of MI has faded away despite having one of the best teams in the tournament. 

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Justin Langer backs Rishabh Pant amidst captaincy row

LSG's coach Justin Langer backs Rishabh Pant despite the player's poor performance in the IPL 2026. Pant has been struggling to collect runs with the bat, and the captaincy isn't impressive either. However, Langer revealed an incident where Pant played a solid knock during their practice session. He praised Pant's innings and stated that he is a good player and will bounce back.

"We played a practice game here two days ago, and Rishi (Rishabh Pant), I'm not sure of the exact final score, maybe 95 off 40 or 30 balls-you're just looking at it and you go, 'Oh my gosh, that's Rishabh Pant at his very best.'" said Justin Langer at the press conference.

"So, he's a very good player; we know that. We've seen him in Test cricket destroy teams at number five, and we felt today, given that and the way he played just two days ago after a seven-day break, that it might be a good option for the team," he said.

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It is breathtaking: Justin Langer

The coach opened up about his reaction to how the batters have been playing at the moment and how easy run-chases have become today. He presented a comparison of batting during his time and how much it has evolved, especially in T20 cricket. 

“I literally, as an ex-batter and an ex-warrior who loves batting and a coach for a long time, I cannot believe the batting I’m seeing at the moment. It is breathtaking. It is absolute," he added. 

“Who would have thought, however many years ago you have run chasers like we’ve just seen today, or Nicky Pooran or Rickelton come – and we’re not even talking about the young kids. Raghuvanshi walked out today in his first IPL game and hit a six. If I’d played, it would have made my day, but I’d be so nervous I’d be blocking it.”

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