Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim has raised concerns over Mitchell Marsh’s poor batting form, calling it a major issue for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026. He suggested that the team should consider dropping Marsh for their upcoming clash.
Karim also pointed out that left-hander Nicholas Pooran hasn’t been at his best with the bat, making LSG’s top order a concern. As a solution, he recommended bringing in Matthew Breetzke to open the innings.
LSG are set to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 15. The team has had a mixed record at the venue, winning two out of four matches. They are coming into this game on the back of a seven-wicket loss to Gujarat Titans, adding further pressure to bounce back.
“I’m looking at a deeper problem here. And I think the quicker they’re able to address this issue, it’ll be better for LSG. For instance, Mitch Marsh, I was looking at his form even in the T20 World Cup. Except for one or two innings where he looked very comfortable, otherwise he did struggle, especially in Sri Lanka with the wickets. Pooran struggled in ILT20,” said Karim on ESPNcricinfo.
“So these batting woes are hitting LSG in a very bad manner. And I think it’s time now for them to replace… Mitch Marsh is a big problem. Matthew Breetzke as an opener. I think this is the time to make that change,” he added.
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Former Australian cricketer Aaron Finch admitted that Pooran’s lack of runs is a major concern for LSG, especially considering the significant investment the franchise made in him. Finch noted that the team had backed Pooran to deliver consistently, but his struggles with the bat have hurt LSG’s campaign. He further added that not just Pooran, but the entire batting unit has failed to find any real rhythm so far in the tournament.
“Their batting stats are the lowest in the competition and they just haven’t been able to get any consistency. They can’t really get into a rhythm at the top of the order. And then Pooran have been horribly out of form. That’s a real concern because you’ve put a lot of your salary cap and you’ve put a lot of your resources into that position in the middle order that he’s been shuffled around and he needs to find some form,” said Finch.
