Rishabh Pant's Lucknow Super Giants will take on Axar Patel's Delhi Capitals in match 5 of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday. Both teams finished mid-table last season and will look to get to the next stage this season.
IPL 2026: Rishabh Pant had a forgettable first season with LSG after being bought for a record Rs 27.50 crore by the franchise, making him the most expensive player in the league's history.
IPL 2026: Former RCB captain Faf du Plessis wondered why teams were willing to shell out huge sums for a player like Rishabh Pant who holds an average T20 record.
Pant, who has been overlooked from India's T20I squad over the last two years and demoted to the back-up wicket-keeper in ODI cricket, is gearing up for a pivotal IPL 2026 season with the Lucknow Super Giants.
Pant also lauded Arjun for his commitment to the game, enquiring about his practice with former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh a day after his wedding earlier this month.
The burden of a hefty price tag and captaincy did not sit well with Rishabh Pant last season, managing only 269 runs at a 24.45 average, his lowest ever in an edition of the tournament.
With his white-ball India place under threat, Rishabh Pant has quietly transformed himself ahead of the IPL — leaner, sharper, and with something to prove.
Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis believes Rishabh Pant could be the player under the most pressure in the upcoming Indian Premier League season. The wicketkeeper-batter is set to lead the Lucknow Super Giants for the second year in a row after an inconsistent campaign last season.
NIA team reaches Malda to investigate gherao of judicial officers engaged in SIR
Cities33 min ago
NIA officials, led by DIG, arrived in Malda to investigate the harassment of seven judicial officers. They were accompanied by 60 Army jawans and NIA IG Sonia Singh also landed in Kolkata. The incident occurred when judicial officers were held hostage by protesting residents. The SC transferred the probe to NIA and the team visited the BDO office and Mothabari police station for evidence.
![👁 How can someone be the deputy leader [of the AAP] in the Upper House if they’re not willing to take on the BJP?](https://images.indianexpress.com/2026/01/Atishi.jpg?resize=150,83){kind=link}
