Ravi Shastri former India head coach has lambasted the Lucknow Super Giants after their recent form slump in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Rishabh Pant led side slumped to their sixth successive defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians on Sunday and with seven losses in nine matches they are languishing at ninth position in the points table.

 

Though LSG posted a competitive 228/5 against Mumbai Indians it still wasn't enough as Rohit Sharma (84) and Ryan Rickelton (83) were involved in a massive 143-run opening partnership as they chased down the total with ease.

 

Shastri opined that LSG failed to fire collectively citing issues in both their batting and bowling units.

 

Shastri told Jio Hotstar:

 

"The problem with LSG is that when their bowling unit performs the batters fail to back it up, and when the batters score runs the bowlers go for plenty. There's no consistency. Six losses in a row can really dent a side's confidence and even in games where you are in a comfortable position, there are thoughts like, 'Will we win, won't we?'" 

 

He further attributed LSG's failure to capitalize on favourable batting conditions:

 

He also Added:

 

"You are 100 for one in 7 overs and in the next 13 overs, you score less than 130 which means you have faltered. And you won't get better batting conditions than this."

 

 

Also Read | Axar Patel Struggles Continue in IPL 2026 for DC

 

Pressure on Pant and qualification possibilities

 

Due to consistent failures, leadership changes are on the table, and opinions of removing Pant from captaincy so he can focus on batting and Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh being captain candidates.

 

Shastri believed management needed to sit and have a word regarding what is going wrong

 

He said:

 

“So they will have to sit down and think about what went wrong in the last three overs whilst batting and how they can try and tighten up their bowling”.

 

He stated that it is up to bowlers to try and adapt and play with the condition.

 

Shastri Concluded:

 

"The bowlers have to adapt their lines and length as per the condition. There is a good wicket for fast bowlers at Lucknow but then there is a good batting wicket at Bengaluru or Mumbai. Here the challenge will be” 

 

It's not a foregone conclusion that LSG is out of the competition for the playoff spots. The remaining 5 matches need to be won by them to get to 14 points. They could also qualify based on other results.

 

However it is a tough road to get the season back on track