With their campaigns slipping away, ninth-placed Lucknow Super Giants and bottom-placed Kolkata Knight Riders head into Sunday’s IPL 2026 clash at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow under intense pressure, as their struggles continue to expose leadership concerns around Rishabh Pant and Ajinkya Rahane.
One look at their captaincy record sums up the story. While Rahane has led KKR in 20 matches, winning six and losing 12, Pant has captained LSG in 21 games, with eight wins and 13 losses.
For three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders, the decision to continue with Rahane as captain after a disappointing IPL 2025 campaign was questioned from the start. Those doubts have only grown stronger as results have failed to improve. It took KKR seven matches to register their first win, and even that came largely due to individual brilliance from Rinku Singh rather than a complete team effort.
Rahane has shown some positive intent with the bat, scoring 67 off 40 against Mumbai Indians and 41 off 24 against Lucknow Super Giants. However, in a fast-paced format like T20 cricket, these starts have not turned into impactful innings that can change the course of matches. At nearly 38 years of age, continuing with him as a long-term T20 leader is beginning to look out of sync with the demands of the format.
He has also not been helped by a weakened pace attack and a slow start from key spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Still, questions remain over decision-making, both from Rahane and head coach Abhishek Nayar. Team selection has lacked clarity, with players like Rachin Ravindra sitting out, while Finn Allen and Tim Seifert have been rotated without a clear plan.
Rahane’s decisions at the toss have also raised eyebrows. Choosing to bat on a tricky surface against Gujarat Titans led to an early collapse to 32/3, while a similar call under overcast conditions against Punjab Kings saw them struggling at 25/2 before rain interrupted play. Even though Rahane has tried to play a more aggressive brand of cricket, his decision-making has often lacked conviction.
His recent batting form reflects this struggle. He has registered consecutive ducks, including one against Rajasthan Royals where the situation required composure. Instead, he played an attacking shot and got out early, leaving the team in trouble before Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 53 helped them recover.
KKR may take some confidence into the match, but with just three points so far, they now need to win at least six of their remaining seven games, which looks like a tough task.
Lucknow Super Giants are in a similar position, with just two wins and having lost four matches in a row. Their campaign has been affected not just by poor results but also by questionable decisions on the field from captain Rishabh Pant.
Pant’s own form has been a major concern. Since his unbeaten 67 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he has scored only 72 runs in five innings, including a three-ball duck against Rajasthan Royals. That dismissal highlighted his current struggles. Chasing 160 on a difficult pitch in Lucknow, Pant came in after an early run-out but played recklessly instead of adapting to the situation.
Against a disciplined bowling attack featuring Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger, LSG needed to preserve wickets early on. However, Pant’s approach showed little awareness of the match conditions, putting his team under more pressure.
LSG’s problems are made worse by their poor record at home. The Ekana Stadium has not been a stronghold for them. They lost six of eight matches there last season, including five in a row, and have already suffered three consecutive defeats at the venue this year. Overall, they have managed just nine wins from 24 matches at home.
Their batting unit has been inconsistent, with frequent collapses at the top exposing a struggling middle order. Overseas players like Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram have not delivered consistently, adding to the team’s issues.
There have been a few positives. Earlier in the season, LSG discovered a promising talent in Mukul Choudhary, who impressed with an unbeaten 54 off 27 balls. However, he has not been able to maintain that form since.
KKR get Pathirana boost
Meanwhile, KKR could get a boost with the expected return of Sri Lankan slinger Matheesha Pathirana. The Rs 18-crore signing is likely to make his debut and could strengthen a bowling attack that has lacked penetration. Known for his yorkers, Pathirana could play a key role, especially against players like Mitchell Marsh and Pant.
Squads:
LSG: Rishabh Pant (captain), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan.
KKR: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep, Blessing Muzarabani, Navdeep Saini, Prashant Solanki, Finn Allen, Daksh Kamra, Kartik Tyagi, Sarthak Ranjan, Saurabh Dubey.