'Highly doubtful if any team will want him in a trade' - S Badrinath's brutal remark on struggling Rishabh Pant ahead of IPL trade window

Subramaniam Barinath opined that Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) should release Rishabh Pant after two forgettable campaigns as a captain and batter. In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the wicketkeeper-batter scored just 312 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28.36 and a strike rate of 138.06. He only registered one half-century during the season. LSG finished at the bottom of the points table for the first time.

Former India batter Badrinath said that while Lucknow wouldn't mind a trade, Pant's record price tag of INR 27 crore might make teams reluctant. Therefore, LSG would have to release him into the auction, Badrinath feels.

"Pant has been a massive letdown for LSG. They need to release Rishabh Pant. It's highly doubtful if any team will want him in a trade because of his high price. So Pant will almost certainly be released and come into the auction. It is a difficult call, but they have to take it as they've already hit rock bottom," Badrinath said in a video on his YouTube channel.

"They have better captains like Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh, who are leading their national teams. Along with Pant (27 cr), LSG should also release Nicholas Pooran (21 cr) and Mayank Yadav (11 cr). By doing this, they'll free up 60 crores, which is half the purse. That's the only way you can build a proper squad," he added.

"KKR might not release Cameron Green" - S Badrinath

Badrinath said that the Kolkata Knight RIders (KKR) might be tempted to trade Cameron Green for Hardik Pandya if Mumbai Indians (MI) are interested. While calling Green overpriced, Badrinath opined that the Australian all-rounder can still add value at the Kolkata-based franchise.

"KKR would be tempted to release Cameron Green. They might try to trade him for Hardik Pandya to MI. But MI should not even encourage a conversation for this trade and drop off the phone call, as there is no comparison between Green and Hardik. However, KKR might not release Green as that category is rare. He still adds value as an all-rounder even though his price is definitely high," said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).