"Don't Break This Bat": Rishabh Pant's Message To Lucknow Super Giants Teammate Ahead Of IPL 2026 Is Hilarious

The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) will be an acid test for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant. In IPL 2025, his team finished seventh. Although Pant did score a ton, it came too late in the day. Ahead of the season, he stressed the importance of team bonding, communication, and clarity of goals as the franchise began its preparations for the upcoming IPL season, starting March 28.

In a video shared by the Lucknow-based franchise on their X handle, skipper Pant welcomed both returning members and new faces in the squad, urging players to focus on building strong relationships during the pre-season camp.

"A lot of people are from last year. A few new faces for sure. Welcome, everyone. I think let's keep it very short and simple. Let's look to build the relationships. If we don't talk about cricket, we're not going to improve. As individuals, let's take whatever we can from all these gentlemen here and try to build something for this season to look forward to," Pant said.

Yeh bat sambhal ke rakhna, Ayush bhai pic.twitter.com/7Tz9PCkmaZ

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) March 13, 2026

In another video, Pant can be seen giving a bat to his LSG teammate Ayush Badoni. "You like a short-handle bat? Here, take this one. This is a great bat. Don't break this one," he said.

Pant-led LSG managed only six wins. 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.

"When we come into a season, every time there is a thought in our mind that 'let's build something; let's look to win.' But at the same time, to be clear in your thought process-what do you want to do? What do you want to achieve as an individual and as a team? And this is the best time to have that clarity. This is kind of a season camp, but still a pre-season camp because the rest of the squad will join from March 15-16, mostly," he added.

"So it's just about getting to know each other. Let's spend a good time together and have a great time, yeah? Let's keep communicating. Lots of energy. Lots of fun. Lots of learning. Let's create something," Pant concluded

Topics mentioned in this article

Rishabh Pant Ayush Badoni Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2026 Cricket