Data Shorts: Nicholas Pooran and an endless rut haunting LSG

Until a few seasons ago, Nicholas Pooran was arguably the most feared batter in T20s. He had a breakout 2024 with runs and sixes across the globe, and carried that for a fair part of 2025. The numbers started diminishing post IPL 2025, and have nosedived entirely in 2026—a classic case of famine after feast.

Nicholas Pooran in T20s since 2024

Pooran's 2024 was historic: his 2331 runs and 170 sixes are a calendar-year record in men's T20s. His 2025 totals of 1918 runs and 121 sixes rank fifth all-time. Much of his 2025 success came in the ILT20 and IPL. He announced a surprise retirement shortly after IPL 2025 ended, having last played a T20I in December 2024. His form has dipped sharply since.

Pooran's diminishing returns in T20s

The data shows a severe decline in two of his greatest strengths: his strike rate against spin has dropped by 25%, and his effectiveness against pace has waned. Against short-pitched deliveries, he scored 119 at a strike rate of 163.01 in IPL 2025, but has managed only 10 runs off 17 balls against that length in 2026, falling three times. In recent innings, tall right-arm quicks like Cameron Green, Prasidh Krishna, and Josh Hazlewood have exploited this weakness with bounce and angle from over the wicket.

In IPL 2026, Pooran has 42 runs from five innings at a strike rate of 76.36, with a dot-ball percentage of 60 (33 out of 55). The lack of support from other overseas batters has compounded LSG's problems. In 2025, LSG's overseas batters were the most productive in the league, and the team was the best against spin. This season, Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh have also declined sharply, alongside Rishabh Pant's struggles against spin (strike rate of 111.95 across IPL 2025 and 2026).

Marsh, Markram and Pooran in IPL 2025 and 2026 (combined)

After 23 matches, LSG are the worst batting unit in the tournament, with an average of 18.77 and a strike rate of 126.85, well below the tournament averages of 28.43 and 155.41. Promoting Pooran to No. 3 could be a strategic move, especially if Pant misses their next game due to an elbow injury. Pooran scored 466 runs at a strike rate of 201.73 from the one-drop position last season, forming a formidable top order.

LSG's two wins this season have relied on standout performances from uncapped batters Ayush Badoni and Mukul Choudhary. Their contributions have provided crucial lower-order resistance, offering LSG the assurance to potentially reunite their most destructive batters at the top of the order.