Are fitness issues troubling Rishabh Pant? Elbow injury adds to list of freak injuries

It is not official yet, but Rishabh Pant's IPL 2026 could already be over. Even if he recovers, the LSG captain could miss a lengthy chunk of this season's games, as the elbow injury that forced him to retire hurt against RCB on Wednesday (15 April) does not look good.

The incident happened in the third over of the LSG innings when Pant missed a delivery from Josh Hazlewood and was struck flush on the left elbow. The pain was instant and forced him to walk off the field. He did return later on but was dismissed, having barely troubled the scorers.

Before copping the blow, Pant looked all at sea against Hazlewood, and his recent injury concerns have now started to become more of a worrying pattern than just a coincidence. The latest injury is similar in tone to the one he suffered for India A against South Africa A late last year.

In November 2025, while facing South African pacer Tshepo Moreki, Pant was struck on his left forearm. It was supposed to be a match where he had to prove his fitness; ironically, this injury compounded Pant's misery.

In January this year, Pant suffered a side strain on the right during practice, just days before the ODI series against New Zealand at home. Also, one cannot forget the 2025 tour of England, where he ended up fracturing his toe, although that was more of an in-play incident.

Pant's biggest strength as a batter is his unorthodox mindset against bowlers. We have seen how he loves to play sweeps and reverse sweeps even against fast bowlers. He moves around the crease frequently and relies heavily on being fluid in his movement.

Hand-eye coordination does fade with time, but Pant is only 28 at the moment, so he still has "fuel in the tank" as far as reflexes go. However, mobility around the crease could be a problem with these recent injuries.

Constant injuries, especially to the elbow and side strains, can be detrimental for a cricketer—particularly a wicket-keeper—and his recent struggles against pace also seem to be a worry. Perhaps these fitness concerns are affecting his mobility against fast bowlers.

We must also remember that Pant survived a life-threatening accident in late 2022, and most sports personalities seldom make a comeback after such incidents. Hence, it was already a mountain to climb for Pant, and it seems these fitness struggles are only making it worse.

For now, the LSG camp will be waiting anxiously for their skipper's progress. He has been in woeful form but remains a vital cog in this batting line-up. In the near future, he might have to consider the possibility of giving up the gloves.

It is a far-fetched call at this point, but if there is one thing a sportsperson cannot defeat, it is the physical limitations of the body.