[WATCH] India Star Presents Bat To Ayush Badoni Ahead Of IPL 2026

Rishabh Pant, star India batter and captain of Lucknow Super Giants, presented a bat to his teammate Ayush Badoni and jokingly told him not to break it. The moment comes ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 season, which is set to begin on March 28.

With excitement building for the new season, the franchise shared a post on X on Friday, March 13. In the clip from a training session, Badoni is seen receiving the bat from his IPL captain and Delhi teammate Pant. While handing it over, Pant joked:

“Short-handle hai, tujhe pasand hai waisa. Todiyo mat yeh, bhot acha bat hai.” [It’s a short-handle bat, just the way you like it. Don’t break it, it’s a very good bat.]

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

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

Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants will look to deliver a stronger performance in the upcoming season after a disappointing Indian Premier League 2025 campaign, where they missed out on the playoffs and ended seventh in the standings with only six victories from 14 matches.

In the 2026 season, they are set to kick off their campaign on April 1 against Delhi Capitals, the former franchise of Rishabh Pant, at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

IPL Stats: Rishabh Pant And Ayush Badoni’s Numbers So Far

Rishabh Pant began his Indian Premier League journey in 2016 with the Delhi Capitals and stayed with the franchise until 2024. He later moved to the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the 2025 season after being bought for a massive ₹27.00 crore.

In the tournament so far, the left-handed batter has featured in 125 matches, scoring 3,553 runs from 123 innings. He averages 34.16 and strikes at 147.61, registering 19 half-centuries and two centuries, with his highest score being an unbeaten 128.

Meanwhile, Ayush Badoni made his IPL debut in 2022 with the Lucknow Super Giants and has continued to represent the franchise since then. Across 56 matches, he has accumulated 963 runs in 46 innings at an average of 26.75 and a strike rate of 138.56, including six half-centuries.

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