Lucknow Super Giants have made a poor start to their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign, and much of the blame lies with their faltering top order. While Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant, and Mitch Marsh have been inconsistent, the team’s biggest concern is the form of star batter Nicholas Pooran.
Pooran has had an abysmal season so far, managing just 51 runs in six innings at an average of 8.50 and a strike rate of only 79.68. As a result, LSG are struggling in ninth place on the points table with just four points from six games. Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull has slammed Pooran following his repeated failures.
“Their biggest issue is the three overseas players. You have got three overseas batters in your top five. One of them, Markram, has put in a couple of performances. Marsh has not done a lot, and Pooran has done absolutely nothing. That is your biggest issue,” said Doull on Cricbuzz.
“They have basically come out and said that Ayush Badoni is going to open now. They are trying to free Badoni up by making him open up top. That is the call,” he added.
LSG have experimented with several opening combinations. They started with captain Rishabh Pant partnering Mitchell Marsh up top, followed by Aiden Markram at No. 3, Badoni at No. 4, and Pooran at No. 5. Later, they moved Pant to No. 3 and opened with Markram and Marsh up top, with Badoni and Pooran at Nos. 4 and 5. Against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Pooran was promoted to No. 4 but failed again. LSG made more changes against Punjab Kings as well, sending Badoni to open with Marsh up top.
Criticising the constant shuffling, Doull said, “They are just unsure about their batting order. They have made the changes early in an attempt to find something.”
Skipper Pant is the highest-paid player in the league, with the franchise spending 27 crore for him. LSG also retained Pooran for 21 crore.
Doull said, “Pant has won them one game with the bat and nothing outside of that. You have spent 50 crores on two players, Pant and Pooran, who have won you one game. Almost half your purse on two players who have won you one game.”
Continuing on LSG’s top order, Doull said: “They are just unsure, and they would have been sure at the start of the season. But when you go game after game after game without a performance, then you have to think about it. So they have made the changes relatively early because they want players to find something. They want their team to find something. But when you are frontloaded with overseas batters and you look at the teams that are having success, why are they having success? They have got Indian batters.”
