Jaipur, May 19 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants batter Nicholas Pooran offered an honest assessment of both his own struggles and LSG’s disappointing IPL 2026 season, admitting that neither he nor the franchise had managed to find consistency in a difficult campaign.
LSG became the first team to be eliminated from the playoff race this season, ending another season that began with promise but faded away midway through the tournament. Speaking to the broadcasters before the toss, Pooran said the franchise had spent the season searching for answers but failed to find the desired results.
“It’s been a tough one. We’ve tried different things this year in the hope of getting better and getting better results, and it hasn’t worked out initially for us. But every good franchise continues to try different things to get that result. Unfortunately, we found ourselves in a situation where we have to continue to rebuild and just build for the next year,” Pooran told the broadcasters ahead of the RR vs LSG contest.
The West Indies batter also addressed his own form, acknowledging that he had failed to live up to expectations this season. Known for his aggressive strokeplay and ability to dominate bowling attacks, Pooran admitted that he had struggled to make the impact he usually prides himself on.
“There’s no secret about it. Obviously, I didn’t start the tournament well. In all fairness, as well, I haven’t been good enough, and that’s something that I’ve accepted. I’ve accepted all the criticism that came with it as well. But this is how the game goes for batters and bowlers. Sometimes you perform, sometimes you don’t,” he said.
Pooran added that difficult phases are part of a cricketer’s journey and insisted that self-belief remains central to recovering from poor form, as he said, “When you get yourself in positions like that, it’s all about trusting yourself and having a game plan. I don’t want to point a finger, but it’s just been tough initially for me.”
The 30-year-old also responded to conversations surrounding his international future and suggestions that franchise cricket had taken priority following his retirement from international cricket. Pooran rejected that narrative, pointing out that he had balanced both formats for several years before stepping away from West Indies cricket.
“I’ve been playing franchise cricket for a long while, and whilst playing franchise cricket, I have been playing international cricket as well. I’ve heard all the comments about Nicky P walking away from international cricket and stuff. I’ve played the last nine years, I’ve played 160-something games internationally,” Pooran stated.
Pooran admitted that his performances had not met his own standards but maintained that preparation and commitment had remained unchanged throughout.
“It’s just unfortunate that I haven’t got the runs that I’m accustomed to and the amount of sixes I’ve been hitting. But I will be held accountable. I am a person who judges myself really hard. I just accept that this is one of the moments where I haven’t been good and accept the criticism with it,” he noted.
Despite LSG being out of playoff contention, Pooran stressed that the side was still searching for combinations and clarity heading into the future. He revealed that changes to the batting order in recent games had helped the team rediscover some rhythm.
“Honestly, it’s all about pride and just figuring out what’s going to work for us,” he said.
“Obviously, we got into a difficult situation halfway through the tournament, and we just changed the batting line-up. We went back to something that really worked for us, and that has been working for us in the last couple of games. So it’s nice to really get back into a rhythm of how we actually want to go about batting in the powerplay and obviously in the middle overs as well,” he mentioned.
–IANS
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