IPL 2026: “Rishabh Pant under most pressure,” says Faf du Plessis

With the Indian Premier League 2026 season fast approaching, teams will be eager to hit the ground running, while several players will be under the spotlight to deliver. Among them, Rishabh Pant stands out as one of the most closely watched figures.

Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis believes the Lucknow Super Giants skipper will be under the most pressure heading into the new season.

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Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history when LSG secured him for ₹27 crore last year. However, his performances failed to fully justify the hefty price tag. While he did score a century, it came when LSG were already out of playoff contention, and his overall returns remained underwhelming.

Du Plessis pointed to both Pant’s price tag and last season’s struggles as key reasons behind the mounting pressure.

“For me, Rishabh Pant is probably the player in the IPL who is under the most pressure this season. Some guys flourish under the price tag pressure, while some don’t. I think last season was a really tough one for him. The team struggled, and he also struggled with runs,” du Plessis told Jio Hotstar.

He further highlighted the dual responsibility Pant carries as captain and a key batter.

“With a batting-heavy team, how are they going to maximise their bowling? There is pressure on your captain—scoring runs is your first job. If he is scoring runs, it takes pressure off. But then there is also the team’s overall performance, and last year both had big red crosses against them,” he added.

Pant scored 269 runs in 13 matches last season at an average of 24.45, numbers that will keep him under scrutiny.

LSG will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Delhi Capitals on April 1 at the Ekana Stadium, with Pant’s form set to be a major talking point.