Mitchell Marsh's IPL 2026 campaign over! LSG to face PBKS without their leading run-getter

Mitchell Marsh won't be available for the game against PBKS which means LSG will have to find a new opening partner for Josh Inglis vs PBKS.

Lucknow Super Giants have suffered a significant blow as the team will play their final IPL 2026 game without the services of Mitchell Marsh. The Australian all-rounder, who has opened the batting for LSG throughout IPL 2026, is reportedly unavailable for the game against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Previously, Aiden Markram returned to South Africa due to personal reasons and missed the previous game that LSG played against RR.

Marsh unavailable for LSG vs PBKS

As per ESPNCricinfo, Marsh is unavailable for LSG’s final IPL 2026 game against PBKS. The reasons for his abrupt departure are yet to be made public by the franchise. It is pertinent to point out that LSG have already been knocked out of the tournament with just 4 wins from 13 matches, and are languishing at the bottom of the points table.

Marsh has been LSG’s leading run-getter in IPL 2026, having amassed 563 runs from 13 matches at an average of 43.30 and a strike rate of 163.18. With Markram and Breetzke unavailable as well, LSG will have to find a new opener for their fixture against PBKS. The possible options include captain Rishabh Pant, Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran.

Pant has opened in just 6 IPL matches to date, and has scored 132 runs. His highest score as an opener has been 69 runs. However, he emerges as the frontrunner to replace Marsh at the top of the order. The last time he opened the innings for LSG was in the game against Delhi Capitals on April 1, 2026, where he managed to score just 7 runs. Before that, he scored 21 runs off 18 balls against GT in Lucknow in 2025.

Badoni, who is another option that LSG could consider, has played just 3 matches as an opener, where he has fetched poor results, having scored just 39 runs. He last essayed the role of an opener in the game against the Rajasthan Royals, in which he was dismissed for a duck, while he scored 35 runs in the game against the Punjab Kings on April 19. Meanwhile, Pooran has never opened the innings for any side in the IPL.