IPL 2026: Rishabh Pant to continue as opener? LSG skipper reveals after defeat | Cricket News – The Times of India
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IPL 2026: Rishabh Pant to continue as opener? LSG skipper reveals after defeat | Cricket News – The Times of India


IPL 2026: Rishabh Pant to continue as opener? LSG skipper reveals after defeat | Cricket News – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant’s bold move to open the innings didn’t go as planned as Lucknow Super Giants slumped to a defeat against Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2026 opener, raising questions about his role at the top.Pant’s outing ended in a bizarre run-out in the third over. A straight drive from Mitchell Marsh was deflected onto the stumps by Mukesh Kumar, catching Pant well short at the non-striker’s end. The LSG skipper, who scored 7 off 9 balls, walked off visibly frustrated after the unlucky dismissal.

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Angkrish Raghuvanshi focused only on team’s wins

Reflecting on the moment, Pant said, “I think the best way to recover from it is to ignore. I think that’s the best way looking forward because you know something like that, you can’t control, but thinking about it definitely puts you on the back-foot.” He also admitted that the team struggled to build partnerships: “See, it’s always the case, but you know the way we batted, we couldn’t get a partnership going for long.”Pant’s promotion to the top, breaking the established pair of Aiden Markram and Marsh, raised eyebrows. Addressing whether he will continue as opener, he said, “I think it’s a 50-50 call, but we’ll see. But definitely see me in the top order.”LSG’s batting faltered throughout, managing just 141 in 18.4 overs despite starts from Markram and a fighting 35 from Marsh. Lungi Ngidi and T Natarajan starred with three wickets each, while Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with crucial breakthroughs.

Rizvi, Stubbs seal win for DC

Chasing 142, Delhi were in early trouble before Sameer Rizvi (70*) and Tristan Stubbs (39*) stitched a match-winning 119-run stand. Rizvi’s fearless hitting turned the game on its head as DC chased down the target in 17.1 overs.With the opening experiment failing and LSG’s batting misfiring, Pant now faces a crucial call on his position going forward.


Watch: Rishabh Pant giggles after freak dismissal ends opening gamble in LSG vs DC | Cricket News – The Times of India
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Watch: Rishabh Pant giggles after freak dismissal ends opening gamble in LSG vs DC | Cricket News – The Times of India


Watch: Rishabh Pant giggles after freak dismissal ends opening gamble in LSG vs DC | Cricket News – The Times of India
Rishabh Pant dismissal in LSG vs DC (Screengrabs)

NEW DELHI: Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant endured a frustrating start to his opening experiment as Lucknow Super Giants took on Delhi Capitals in their first IPL 2026 clash on Wednesday, with a bizarre run-out cutting short his innings.The incident unfolded in the third over when Mukesh Kumar delivered a full ball that Mitchell Marsh struck firmly back towards the bowler. Mukesh got a fingertip to the ball in his follow-through, inadvertently deflecting it onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end.

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Angkrish Raghuvanshi focused only on team’s wins

Pant, who had backed up too far, was caught well short of his crease with no chance of recovery. Visibly disappointed, he walked off without waiting for the third umpire’s confirmation after scoring 7 off 9 balls.Watch:Pant’s early dismissal dealt a blow to LSG’s strategy, as the team had opted to promote him to the top in a bold tactical move. The wicket also validated Delhi’s decision to bowl first after Axar Patel won the toss, expecting assistance from the fresh surface.Earlier, Axar explained the call, citing potential help for bowlers in the powerplay despite data favouring teams batting first. Delhi fielded a balanced XI featuring the likes of KL Rahul, David Miller and Kuldeep Yadav, while LSG relied on a strong overseas core including Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Anrich Nortje.Adding to the talking points, Arjun Tendulkar remained absent from both the playing XI and the bench despite being part of LSG’s squad this season.With Pant’s gamble backfiring early, the contest quickly tilted in Delhi’s favour in the opening exchanges.

LSG vs DC Playing XI

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohsin Khan, Mohammed Shami, Anrich Nortje, Prince YadavLucknow Super Giants Impact subs: Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akshat RaghuvanshiDelhi Capitals (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Lungi Ngidi,Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh KumarDelhi Capitals Impact subs: Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Sameer Rizvi, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair


‘In the lap of the gods’: How Australia can still reach Super 8s in the T20 World Cup despite Sri Lanka heartbreak | Cricket News – The Times of India
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‘In the lap of the gods’: How Australia can still reach Super 8s in the T20 World Cup despite Sri Lanka heartbreak | Cricket News – The Times of India


‘In the lap of the gods’: How Australia can still reach Super 8s in the T20 World Cup despite Sri Lanka heartbreak | Cricket News – The Times of India
Steve Smith of Australia shakes hands with Pavan Rathnayake of Sri Lanka after the match. (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: A shattered Mitchell Marsh did not hide his emotions after Australia crashed to a crushing eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in a must-win clash at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Monday, conceding his side’s fate in the tournament is now out of their hands.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Australia posted 181 after a blazing start but were blown away by a sensational chase led by Pathum Nissanka, whose unbeaten century sealed Sri Lanka’s place in the Super 8s and left the former champions staring at an early exit.“It is a devastated group. We’re in the lap of the gods now, I think, with the way it’s shaped up,” Marsh said in a brutally honest assessment. “There’s a lot of emotion in the rooms right now. We haven’t been at our best… we’re a disappointed bunch at the moment.”

T20 World Cup: India humiliate Pakistan again

Blazing start, bitter finishAt the halfway stage of their innings, Australia looked firmly in control. Marsh (54) and Travis Head (56) powered their side to a commanding 110/2, setting the platform for a massive total. But what followed was a dramatic collapse in momentum, as Sri Lanka’s bowlers tightened the screws.“Well, I thought it was a competitive total at the halfway mark. There’s no doubt we probably left ourselves a few short after the start that we had. So that’s disappointing,” Marsh admitted. “We know that at our best we can make big scores. And we just lost our way a little bit there towards the back-end. Couldn’t get a partnership going and Sri Lanka bowled really well.”He added with resignation: “Coming off, we knew we were a few short… not much else to say other than Sri Lanka outplayed us tonight.”Sri Lanka made Australia pay dearly. Nissanka’s breathtaking 100 not out off just 52 balls turned the chase into a statement, as Australia’s bowlers had no answers on a night when everything seemed to slip away.Qualification hopes hang by a threadThe defeat marked Australia’s second consecutive loss and left them in a precarious position in Group B. With just one win from three matches, their Super 8 hopes now hinge on other results — particularly the crucial clash between Zimbabwe and Ireland.Marsh admitted the team could only watch and hope.“We watch the Zimbabwe-Ireland game and we hope… but yeah, we’re a disappointed bunch at the moment,” he said.

Australia T20 World Cup

Australia’s captain Mitchell Marsh, right, with Nathan Ellis. (AP Photo)

T20 World Cup: How Australia can still qualify for Super 8s

The qualification equation is tense and unforgiving.If Zimbabwe beat Ireland on Tuesday, Australia will be eliminated from the tournament. However, an Ireland victory will keep Australia’s hopes alive and open up a three-way fight for the remaining Super 8 spot.In that scenario, Zimbabwe’s final group match against Sri Lanka on February 19 will become decisive. A Zimbabwe win over the co-hosts will take them through to the Super 8s alongside Sri Lanka, ending Australia’s chances regardless of other results.But if Zimbabwe lose to Sri Lanka — and Ireland have already beaten Zimbabwe — then Zimbabwe and Ireland will both finish on four points, bringing net run rate into play to determine the second qualifier from the group.Australia, who face Oman on February 20 in their final match, will then enter the contest with a clear net run rate equation. They will need a convincing win and a favourable swing in numbers to stay alive and secure a dramatic late qualification.