Summary of this article
Faf du Plessis believes Rishabh Pant will be under major pressure due to his price tag
Pant is IPL's most expensive buy at INR 27 crores by the Lucknow Super Giants
LSG finished 7th last year; Pant scored just 269 runs from 14 matches
Former South Africa captain and Indian Premier League winner Faf du Plessis believes Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant will be under the most pressure in the upcoming IPL 2026 season, starting from March 28 onwards.
While speaking on Jio Hotstar's pre-IPL show - the "Game plan - Know your team", Faf du Plessis was dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of LSG along with former India pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji in one of the episodes.
During their analysis of the team, Faf and Balaji spoke on LSG's balance, their overseas combination and the pressure that franchise captain Rishabh Pant will have on his head.
As we all know, Rishabh Pant became the Indian Premier League's most expensive player 2 years ago when LSG splashed a whopping INR 27 crores for the wicket-keeper batsman during the mega auction for the 2025 season.
It was after the Delhi Capitals decided to exercise their right to match card, the LSG management increased Pant's price from 20.75 to 27 crores. DC had no option but to let go of a player who made his entry in the IPL through their franchise.
Rishabh Pant's price tag raised plenty of eyebrows as well as expectations. He is now being seen as the one to lead LSG towards their maiden IPL title, but his debut season for the franchise last year was one to forget.
Lucknow finished the season at 7th with 12 points after 6 wins and 8 losses. Individually too, Rishabh Pant had a forgettable season, scoring just 269 runs at an average of 24.45 from 14 matches
Clearly, Pant did not have an ideal start to life as LSG captain. And according to Faf du Plessis, the pressure will remain the same this year as well.
'Scoring Runs Is Your First Job', Faf du Plessis' Advice To Rishabh Pant
The 2-time IPL winner with CSK pointed out that some players flourish under the pressure of a high price tag while others simply don't.
Faf du Plessis stated that Rishabh Pant will have a lot of pressure on his head, but firstly he must find his own rhythm to score runs from the bat. Faf believes that if the 28-year-old is able to do that, then it will take some pressure off the team.
"For me, Rishabh Pant is probably the player in the IPL, who is under the most pressure this season. Some guys flourish under the price tag pressure, while some don’t. I think last season was a really tough one for him." - du Plessis said via Jio Hotstar's Game Plan - Know Your Team show.
Scoring runs is your first job. So, if he is scoring runs as a Captain, it takes pressure off in the first instance. But then there is a second instance, which is the team performance, overall. And last year, both of those things had big red crosses against them. - Faf du Plessis concluded.
Indian Premier League 2026: Lucknow Super Giants Schedule
| Date | Day | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| Apr-01 | Wednesday | Lucknow Super Giants Vs Delhi Capitals | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | 7:30 PM |
| Apr-05 | Sunday | Sunrisers Hyderabad Vs Lucknow Super Giants | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | 7:30 PM |
| Apr-09 | Thursday | Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Lucknow Super Giants | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| Apr-12 | Sunday | Lucknow Super Giants Vs Gujarat Titans | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | 3:30PM |
Indian Premier League 2026: Lucknow Super Giants Squad
Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Rishabh Pant (c), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh, Mohammed Shami, Arjun Tendulkar, Josh Inglis, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Anrich Nortje, Wanindu Hasaranga and Naman Tiwari.
