Mullanpur, April 20 -- Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant revealed that the decision to send Ayush Badoni as an opener was a pre-decided tactical move aimed at giving the top order more freedom, rather than an experimental change made during the match against Punjab Kings in the IPL 2026 clash on Sunday.
Pant said the strategy had been discussed earlier within the team setup. "The idea was to just go out there and play freely. It wasn't taken just today. It was pre-decided that he's going to open," Pant said, explaining the thinking behind the move.
The move paid partial dividends as Badoni responded with a fluent 35 off 21 balls, striking five boundaries and a six at a strike rate of 188.67, giving LSG a quick start and vali...