Irfan Pathan reveals Yuvraj Singh's secret method to train Rishabh Pant ahead of IPL 2026
Published - 26 Mar 2026, 03:06 PM | Updated - 26 Mar 2026, 03:15 PM
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Rishabh Pant has arrived at a crucial juncture in his career. Performance in the upcoming IPL 2026 with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) can prove vital in shaping his international career, as the keeper-batter has sustained a slump in the white-ball format for Team India in the past.
LSG bought the swashbuckling batter for INR 27 crore in the previous auction, the largest amount spent by a franchise to secure a player. In most parts of the IPL 2025 season, Pant was visibly under pressure due to his form, which also affected the team's performance. Pant, who was supposed to be a mainstay in the Indian National Cricket Team, dropped from the T20I and was ruled out of the ODI team because of an Injury.
Rishabh Pant takes lessons from Yuvraj Singh ahead of IPL 2026
The injury-prone cricketer is determined to revive his career to make his place permanent in the national set-up. Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, the star cricketer spent a significant amount of time with the former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who helped Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Priyansh Arya, and Prabhsimran Singh shape their respective professional careers.
In a recent YouTube video, Irfan Pathan shared some insights into Rishabh Pant's extensive lessons with Singh. Pathan revealed that more than working on the technical parts of batting, his former teammate focused on Pant's mental status through hours of pep talks.
Irfan Pathan revealed how Yuvraj trained Pant
"After he worked with Yuvraj Singh, I spoke to Yuvi, and Yuvi told me that more than technical aspects, he worked with Rishabh on the mental side of the game. 3-4 hour sessions were dedicated to just talking," Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
"He has spent 4-5 days with Yuvraj Singh as well. Now we will have to see how he brings those learnings onto the field. He always seemed to be under pressure last year. It seemed that he was not enjoying cricket. He needs to enjoy cricket," Irfan Pathan further added.
Pathan asks Lucknow Super Giants to play Pant as the Number 3 batter of the line-up
Pathan suggests Lucknow Super Giants utilise Pant as their Number 3 batter. For the number 3 position, the team management will have to choose between their captain Rishabh Pant, and West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran. Pathan believes that the franchise should ask Pant to bat at Number 3 so that the team can get the most from the powerplays.
"It is very important that Rishabh Pant gets to bat during the powerplay. Nicholas Pooran has batted at No.3 for them, but Rishabh Pant must be locked in batting at No.3 so that he gets to bat in the powerplay," the former cricketer said.
"Rishabh Pant has done well in this league, he has an average of 34 and a strike rate of around 150, and scored 3500 runs. This shows that you have shown your dominance in this league. The performances are there, match-winning innings are there, but it has to be taken further", he mentioned as well.
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