Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant is facing a tough time in the Indian Premier League (IPL), with his team also struggling. However, head coach Justin Langer believes money isn’t the issue. Pant was bought for $3.21 million and retained, but the team has had a poor season so far.
After losing six games in a row, including a recent defeat to Mumbai Indians, Lucknow is at the bottom of the IPL table. Despite this, Langer praised Pant’s leadership and positive attitude. “He’s handling the pressure well,” Langer said. “It’s not easy being a leader, but he keeps smiling and working hard.”
Pant has scored 204 runs in nine innings with a strike rate of 128.30, which is below his usual standards. However, Langer remains hopeful. “Rishy is close to getting back to form,” he said. “He moved down the order to let Nicholas Pooran play at number three, showing great team spirit.”
In their recent match against Mumbai, Lucknow scored 228-5 but couldn’t defend it. Pant admitted they fell short by 10-15 runs and felt they should have performed better. Langer urged the team to keep pushing forward and hoped for improvements in upcoming games.