"Rishabh Pant has shown a lot of faith in him" - Mohammad Kaif predicts LSG's release of Team India star ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will release Ravi Bishnoi ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction. The leg spinner was retained by the franchise for ₹11 crore last year.

Kaif opined that LSG's uncapped Indian leg spinner Digvesh Rathi has overtaken Bishnoi in the pecking order. He suggested that skipper Rishabh Pant seems to have more faith in Rathi compared to Bishnoi.

Bishnoi performed underwhelmingly in IPL 2025, claiming nine wickets from 11 outings at an economy rate of 10.83. Rathi, on the other hand, was LSG's leading wicket-taker of the season, with 14 scalps across 13 innings at an economy rate of 8.25.

Speaking in a live session on his YouTube channel, Kaif remarked:

At 21:15, "Bishnoi will surely be released; you take it in writing. The reason is that they now have another leg spinner, Digvesh Rathi. He has booked a place for himself in the Lucknow team, and Rishabh Pant has shown a lot of faith in him. So, if I see who the captain likes more between Bishnoi and Rathi, it could be clearly seen that Rishabh Pant backed Rathi more."

Kaif emphasized that Lucknow would need a big purse for the IPL 2026 auction as they have several boxes to tick. The cricketer-turned-commentator added:

24:44, "The problem they have now is with Indian batters. They need to find some players for that role, and will have to move forward by leaving the unfit youngsters. They don't have a fast bowling unit, and now they don't have enough spinners either, as I think Bishnoi will be released. They will add money by releasing those players and will do what Punjab used to do earlier at the auction."

The Rishabh Pant-led LSG had a dismal campaign this year. They won six out of their 14 games and finished seventh in the points table.

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"I don't think they will release a lot of players" - Mohammad Kaif predicts PBKS' IPL 2026 auction strategy

Mohammad Kaif indicated that Punjab Kings (PBKS) could consider parting ways with Australian all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis. He remarked that the side are unlikely to release a lot of players this time.

He stated in the same video:

At 25:31, "Ricky Ponting rates Maxwell very highly. However, I think that they might have to leave Maxwell and Stoinis. Apart from that, they have a complete team. I don't think they will release a lot of players. "They used Stoinis as their fifth bowler, and they faced a lot of issues due to that fifth bowler. Stoinis was given that role, but he proved to be expensive. He is usually very expensive with the ball. He gets hit very often. He takes a wicket here and there, but always leaks runs."

PBKS were the runners-up of IPL 2025. Maxwell, who was signed for ₹4.20 crore, had a forgettable season. He scored just 48 runs from six innings at an average of 8. He did a decent job with the ball, picking up four wickets from six outings with an economy rate of 8.46.

Stoinis was roped in by the franchise for ₹11 crore at the IPL 2025 auction. He amassed 160 runs from 11 innings and claimed one wicket from nine innings.

Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai