Form matters in a 2-month-long tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. What can you do if your best players can’t score? It’s exactly what the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are going through. Their batting lineup looks out of touch. In a world where 200 is the par score, they’ve got just one batter who’s scoring over a strike rate of 150.
LSG’s batting woes
Aiden Markram is their best batter at the moment; he’s currently striking at 160.39. Mitchell Marsh and Rishabh Pant are in the 130s. Nicholas Pooran is under 80. These are some of the most talented batters in the world, and all are out of form. LSG doesn’t have any backups, and even if they did, they surely wouldn’t be of their quality.
The usage hasn’t been great either. Markram was dropped down to number five, and Ayush Badoni was made to open against the Punjab Kings. Pant decided to open against the Delhi Capitals. We don’t know why LSG has tried to break the successful opening partnership between Markram and Marsh. But it hasn’t worked.
Time to test Mayank Yadav
LSG’s batting woes force the bowlers to step up. They’ve done that, to some extent, but one has to question the selection and usage once again. The decision to bowl Ayush Badoni and Aiden Markram over M Siddharth was baffling. They’ve got limitations as well. Mohammed Shami can’t bowl after the 10th over mark, sometimes even after the powerplay.
Mohsin Khan wasn’t played in 4 matches despite no suggestion that he was unfit. Avesh Khan, who hasn’t bowled his quota of overs twice, has been backed over Mohsin. Digvesh Rathi was dropped against Punjab over Siddharth, despite them having three left-handed batters in the top five.
After 6 matches, they have to switch things. One of the fast bowlers has to be dropped. It has got to be Avesh. He’s the middle-overs enforcer but doesn’t have the extra pace or variations to outdo batters. Sometimes Prince and Mohsin have shown. It’s time to play Mayank Yadav.
Avesh Khan in IPL 2026
| Innings | Wickets | Average | Economy | StrikeRate | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 34.60 | 10.17 | 20.4 | 2/23 |
The express pacer was in the impact substitute list for a few games, but wasn’t played. Now, it seems LSG has to do something different. Teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians have made forced changes, and they’ve worked as well. Mayank’s even got IPL experience, something Gurjapneet Singh or Sakib Hussain didn’t have.
We don’t know how quickly Mayank is bowling. But he’s fit. He had upgraded himself last year, as he was bowling slower balls and cutters. One can assume he’s improved these skills even further. There’s no certainty that he’ll come good, but LSG are 2-4 so far. If they wish to make the playoffs, they have to risk it all now.
Predicted LSG Playing XI vs RR
| S. No. | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aiden Markram ✈️ | Batting all-rounder |
| 2 | Mitchell Marsh ✈️ | Opener |
| 3 | Rishabh Pant (c & wk) | Top-order batter |
| 4 | Nicholas Pooran ✈️ | Middle-order batter |
| 5 | Ayush Badoni | Batting all-rounder |
| 6 | Mukul Choudhary | Middle-order batter |
| 7 | Abdul Samad | Finisher |
| 8 | Mohammed Shami | Right-arm fast bowler |
| 9 | Digvesh Rathi | Leg spinner |
| 10 | Mohsin Khan | Left-arm fast bowler |
| 11 | Prince Yadav | Right-arm fast bowler |
| Impact Player | Mayank Yadav | Right-arm fast bowler |
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