Former England captain Michael Vaughan was not pleased with Rishabh Pant failing to give clear answers at the toss ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Pant did not give a clear answer at the toss when he was asked whether he would open the batting against the Sunrisers, saying, “We’ll see.” Pant and LSG’s decision to have the captain open the batting alongside Mitchell Marsh in the previous match against Delhi Capitals raised a few eyebrows, considering how Marsh and Aiden Markram set the stage on fire in the previous season.
After Lucknow lost the match against the Delhi Capitals earlier this week, Pant confirmed that he would bat in the top order but said that the decision to open would be “50-50.”
However, Vaughan believes that a captain should have a clear mind, and Pant should have given a firm answer when he was asked about his batting position at the toss. The former Three Lions skipper also raised questions about Pant’s leadership abilities following his response at the toss.
“This is probably going to be quite controversial. Maybe he’s just not a captain. Maybe. Because if he’s talking that language at the toss, you know, if you’re a captain at the toss, are you going to… Absolutely. You make it very, very clear what you’re going to do. No, I’m batting three today,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.
“Because your job as a leader is to give absolute definition in terms of clarity. And that’s why you’re not hiding anything at the toss. The team’s been picked. Maybe that’s one of the issues, just saying,” he added.
How did Pant perform?
In LSG’s first game of the IPL 2026 season, Pant managed just seven runs as an opener. He suffered an unfortunate dismissal after being run out at the non-striker’s end following a powerful strike by Mitchell Marsh. Delhi Capitals’ pacer Mukesh Kumar just stuck his arm out, and the ball rolled back onto the stumps with Pant out of his crease.
Pant would be desperate for some runs in the IPL 2026 season, considering how he faltered to deceive last season. His numbers were shocking, and it would have been all the more dismal had he not scored a century against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Coming back to the match between SRH and LSG, Pant won the toss and opted to bowl. The decision was proven right by his bowlers as Mohammed Shami removed openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head inside the powerplay.
