With the Indian Premier League 2026 season set to begin on March 28, Rishabh Pant is leaving nothing to chance. The Lucknow Super Giants captain has been putting in intense preparatory work in Mumbai, training under the watchful eye of white-ball legend Yuvraj Singh, a partnership born not out of franchise directive, but personal initiative and mutual respect.
The two spent three to four days at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) ground in Mumbai last week, working through both day and night sessions focused on batting skills and temperament. A video of the sessions, which went viral on social media, showed Yuvraj stationed near the umpire’s position, closely observing Pant’s footwork, body balance, and shot selection while offering advice between deliveries. The Lucknow Super Giants franchise itself shared an image from the camp on social media, captioning it simply: “IPL 2026, get ready.”
A source familiar with the matter confirmed that the collaboration began when Pant reached out to Yuvraj himself, keen to sharpen his white-ball game. “So he reached out to Yuvraj and said he wanted to train under him for three-four days. Subsequently, they trained at the CCI ground in Mumbai, before he departed to attend LSG’s ongoing pre-season camp,” the source said.
The sessions were not limited to T20-specific skills. According to the same source, Pant has been “practicing very, very hard on his game and for improving his fitness too,” with his sights set on a larger ambition excelling in limited-overs cricket over a sustained period.
The urgency behind this preparation is understandable. Pant has not played competitive cricket since suffering a side strain in January during a practice session ahead of India’s ODI series against New Zealand in Vadodara. More significantly, the 27-year-old has been out of India’s white-ball squads since August 2024 and was not part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad. His IPL 2025 numbers told a grim story 269 runs in 14 matches at an average of 24.45 and a strike rate of 133.16, among the lowest returns of his IPL career since 2016.
Despite an unbeaten 118 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in LSG’s final league match of last season, it was too little, too late the team finished seventh in the standings, far from their ambitions.
Yuvraj’s involvement has added a layer of cricketing pedigree to Pant’s pre-season. The two-time World Cup winner has built a respected reputation as a mentor in recent years, previously guiding Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Prabhsimran Singh, and had a short but impactful stint with Sanju Samson, who went on to win the Player of the Tournament award in India’s home T20 World Cup triumph.
The decision to train together was a mutual one. Pant has joined the pre season training camp of LSG. The camp is being overseen by bowling coach Bharat Arun and batting coach Lance Klusener, with fellow squad members including Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan, and Mayank Yadav also in attendance. The setup will shift to Lucknow after March 15, ahead of LSG’s IPL 2026 opener against Delhi Capitals on April 1.
The pressure on Pant this season is perhaps unlike anything he has faced before. Former CSK player and RCB captain Faf du Plessis put it plainly: “For me, he is probably the player in the IPL who’s under the most pressure this season. The last season for him was a real tough season. The team struggled, and his runs also struggled, the way that he batted.”
With a Rs.27 crore price tag making him the most expensive player in IPL history, and fierce competition for a place in India’s white-ball plans, Pant knows exactly what is at stake. If his initiative with Yuvraj is any indication, he seems determined to answer every question asked of him.
