New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer believes that skipper Rishabh Pant will bounce back strongly in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, which will commence on March 28, saying champions like Pant do not remain down for long.

Pant, who is expected to play a key role for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) this season, has been working hard in training after a challenging phase. He was recently seen practising under the guidance of India’s champion player, Yuvraj Singh, in a short camp in Mumbai.

Langer revealed that the 26-year-old is already showing promising signs ahead of the new season, and the team have great expectations for their leader.

“He’ll be ready to go. He’s training at the moment. We’ve got a camp going on at the moment, so I’ll see him in a couple of days. He’s firing, and as I said, with all champions, they don’t stay down for long. His last game last year in the IPL, we saw how brilliant he can be, so that’s our expectation for him this year,” Langer told ESPNCricinfo.

Pant, who is the most expensive IPL player via a Rs 27 crore deal, has not played competitive cricket since suffering a side strain while batting on the eve of India’s ODI series against New Zealand in Vadodara in January.

Pant endured a poor run in IPL 2025, scoring 269 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 133.16, his lowest returns since debuting in the competition in 2016. Despite hitting an unbeaten 118 in LSG’s final league game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, it didn’t help the side’s cause as they finished seventh in the points table.

Despite poor form, Pant remains one of the most dynamic wicketkeeper-batters in the IPL and has built a reputation for his fearless approach with the bat. Pant has been a consistent performer in the tournament, amassing more than 3,200 runs in over 110 matches at a strike rate above 145, which includes two centuries and 19 fifties.

–IANS

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