Lucknow, April 24 -- Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are enduring a poor start to IPL 2026, with five winless games in seven so far. The team, boasting a star-studded lineup, has been repeatedly outplayed on high-bouncing pitches that mimic Australian conditions rather than typical Indian tracks. If skipper Rishabh Pant's poor run with the willow is a setback for the side even on home turf, chief coach Justin Langer has an inkling of where the team's problem lies. He pinpoints the core issue, including failure to adapt to extra pace and bounce, especially after losing their third consecutive match at home, against Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 40 runs on Wednesday. "We've been bowling quite well since the first game but we're just not adjusting to the extra pace and bounce. We saw that we've been out to the short ball a number of times. So we're not adjusting," Langer said. With all the pacers in the match including RR's Jofra Archers creating havoc with his speed, Langer likened the venue to the WACA ground in Perth. "We see a lot of the wickets in India where the ball doesn't bounce very high. This is like playing at the WACA. There's real pace and bounce, isn't there? You're seeing some really interesting cricket being played here and we just haven't been able to adapt to it at this stage." LSG's bowling has shown flashes of brilliance. Mohammad Shami's crafty spells, Digvesh Rathi's promising outings, and good fielding have kept them competitive. The return of speedster Mayank Yadav from back surgery was a highlight. "Mayank came back in his first match which was really good. He's shown great courage to come back. He'll be better for the run today," Langer said. Yet, the batting collapses have been catastrophic, especially in powerplays where early wickets leave them behind the game. But, Langer dismissed notions of a deeper batting crisis, insisting, "No, not at all. We've got some super talents. "Who would have thought at the start of the season... our batting hadn't clicked with the calibre of players we've got. We could never have read that. So we're working hard on it." Langer also defended Pant's aggressive approach, even though the batter has so far scored 147 runs at an average of 24.50 in seven matches. "He's in that pivotal position at number 3. He came out very aggressively against Punjab... I think that's the style of cricket he wants to play. He'll be as frustrated as anyone that it didn't come off today. It's all about the style of an individual and I am sure that he is capable of turning the table on any given day," Langer said....