Nicholas Pooran didn't want to leave the nets.
He had just sent five deliveries in a row sailing out of the ground. The backswing was fluid, the contact precise, and his follow-through almost nonchalant.
At one point, about half-an-hour into his range-hitting session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the ground staff closed in on the nets, ready to dismantle them upon receiving instructions that Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were to shut shop by 8.30pm.
Then a message went out saying Pooran would be batting on. So the ground staff queued up behind the nets and watched what was like a highlights reel on loop. Pooran seemed to be batting in a bubble, intent on hitting just about anything that came his way.
You could understand why he didn't want to leave. This feeling of bat meeting ball, the blaze of sixes and the purity in his strokes have eluded him so far this season. The joy as he scythed yorkers, swung through length balls and disdainfully flicked full deliveries was easy to see.
As he finally wound up, a few of the ground staff walked across to shake hands and thank him for the evening's entertainment. Pooran responded with a smile and a gleeful look at his willow, tapping its middle as if to say that he had rediscovered the sweet spot.
Four innings at IPL 2026 have brought Pooran 41 runs at a strike rate of 85 - the lowest among batters who have faced at least 30 deliveries. Against fast bowling, the returns are even more concerning: an average of 5 and a strike rate of 63.
Pooran's dismissal to Prasidh Krishna in the previous game, against Gujarat Titans, summed it up as he skewed a slower bouncer tamely to mid-off. That afternoon in Ahmedabad, Pooran scored 19 off 21 balls, 12 of which were dots; his strike rate was nudged only by two back-to-back sixes off Rashid Khan.
This, after all, is the same Pooran who lit up the previous season by hitting 527 runs at a strike rate pushing 197, dismantling attacks with ferocity and freedom, mostly at No. 3. He is the same Pooran who then stunned many by stepping away from T20 internationals when at his peak. And yet, since 2024, only Abhishek Sharma has hit more sixes than Pooran.
Since IPL 2025, however, there has been a noticeable dip in his returns across multiple T20 leagues (MLC, CPL, SA20 and ILT20). He has been striking in the 130s and lower. For context, between June 2024 and the end of IPL 2025, he struck at 164.
In many ways, this dip mirrors LSG's broader batting struggles, which their director of cricket Tom Moody has acknowledged. But there is plenty of belief within the camp that a turnaround isn't far off.
"Obviously, Nicky is fully aware of the slow start he has had," Moody said. "We've got absolutely 100% confidence in what he brings to the table. As I say, class is permanent. And I'm sure that the opportunity at a venue where batting can be something that top-order players can enjoy - the size of the ground, the surface - could well be the tonic that Nicky Pooran needs.
"Everyone knows he is a world-class player. He can have a little lean patch, but look out for the counterpunch."
Pooran has been out to pace in three of the four innings so far. And that has brought a few technical aspects of his game into sharp focus. Against Delhi Capitals, Lungi Ngidi dismissed him with a dipping slower delivery. Kolkata Knight Riders troubled him with hard lengths, much like Prasidh did.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar pointed to a slightly exaggerated front-foot movement, which he felt was limiting Pooran's options against pace and forcing him into predictable patterns.
"He is just planting his front foot down the pitch and only wanting to play from there," Bangar said on ESPNcricinfo Time Out. "If that movement of his front foot can be a little bit shorter, maybe that will allow him to transfer his weight on the back foot as well.
"In that process, if he comes inside the line of the ball, it's much better because by doing that, he can also play behind square. At the moment, a big stride down the pitch anticipating the fuller ball and only wanting to play off the front foot and then looking to play the pull shot irrespective of pace or line... that's something he can look at."
Sometimes, a return to a familiar stage can do wonders. Pooran - who averages 74 and strikes at 218 at the Chinnaswamy - and LSG would certainly hope his return to Bengaluru brings back happy memories and gives him a launch pad to kick his season into the high gears.