Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant took the onus on himself to open the innings for his side against the Gujarat Titans on Saturday, April 12 in Match No 26 of the ongoing IPL season with Mitchell Marsh unavailable. Pant, who has played at No 4 for the majority of his IPL career, was batting at the top after nine years in the tournament as he partnered Aiden Markram in a 181-run chase for the hosts at the BRSABV Ekana Stadium.
Pant has batted at the top in just four innings, all in the 2016 edition of the IPL, which was his debut season in the competition. Pant returned scores of 69, 2, 32 and 1 playing for the then Delhi Daredevils and his highest score came against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions and he is opening yet again with another Gujarat team being the opponent.
Before the season had begun, Rishabh Pant had admitted that there was a temptation to open the innings but since he had done well at No 4 for the Capitals all these years, he didn't want to change that just for the sake of it. "Obviously, there is a temptation to go that way [open the innings] but there is no 100 per cent clarity that should I open or stay in the middle-order. Because when you have played in the middle order for so many years and have done well, God has been kind, so you get used to it. So I don't want to make rash decisions like 'let's do it because the external noise is suggesting this'," Pant had told Sports Tak after being named LSG captain in January 2025.
After the auction, there were questions on LSG's squad for lack of frontline openers but Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh have done a great job for the Super Giants in the first few games of the season. Marsh smashing four fifties in five matches and Markram pulling his socks in the last couple of games have led LSG from the front with the bowlers and Nicholas Pooran doing their thing in the rest of the game.
If Marsh doesn't return for another game or two, Pant would be keen to get some runs under the belt at the top and get some confidence back into his batting after a horror start to the season. With LSG restricting the Titans to 180/6 taking 6/60 in the last eight overs, the home side has the momentum and would want to win their third game in a row.