The honeymoon period is over at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). And for the first time since the franchise made Rishabh Pant the most expensive player in IPL history, there are genuine questions being asked internally about whether this partnership is even working.
LSG’s IPL 2026 campaign has ended in disappointment, a major one. The management was swamped with huge names before the season with the likes of Kane Williamson, Tom Moody and Bharat Arun coming in. However it resulted in four wins all season, a bottom-two finish, constant chopping and changing in the batting order, and tactical decisions that often left even former players scratching their heads. Now, global director of cricket Tom Moody has publicly admitted that the franchise is considering a “reset”.
Tom Moody admits leadership concerns around Rishabh Pant
Speaking after LSG’s defeat to Punjab Kings, Moody stopped short of directly blaming Pant, but his comments gave enough hint to indicate that serious discussions are coming.
“From a captaincy point of view, he’s found it challenging, obviously, and the results reflect that, and you do have to wonder whether that pressure is reflected with his performance with the bat,” Moody said in the post match press conference.
“Certainly when it comes to the leadership of the franchise, it’s something that we’ll be taking some very serious consideration to regarding what it looks like in the future.”
Pant was not just signed as a captain. He was signed as the face of the franchise, who is earning the biggest contract in IPL history. A player expected to deliver elite middle-order batting, leadership and star power together. Punjab Kings paid big money for Shreyas Iyer because they believed he could offer all three. He largely justified it. Pant, so far, has not. For a franchise that spent INR 27 crore on Pant, it has backed the player for two consecutive years.
Pant’s batting decline has become impossible to ignore
The main thing that is hurting LSG is that Rishabh Pant, the batter, has been non-existent. His leadership skills are never talked about highly. So, naturally, the load comes to how well he performs. And in that, there is so much left to be desired.
From 2017 to 2019, Pant was arguably the most destructive Indian batter in the IPL. During that period, he scored 1538 runs at a strike rate of 168.08. Only AB de Villiers and Andre Russell struck quicker against pace.
Now, he looks like a completely different batter. He can’t easily hit down the ground, often going for fancy scoops or dabs around the leg.
Rishabh Pant’s declining numbers
| Period | Runs | Strike Rate | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPL 2017-2019 | 1538 | 168.08 | 38.45 |
| IPL 2025-2026 | 581 | 135.74 | 26.40 |
Players with lowest SR vs spin from IPL 2025-26 (minimum 100 balls)
- Ravindra Jadeja – 109.9
- Tilak Varma – 122.2
- Dhruv Jurel – 122.5
- Ajinkya Rahane – 122.6
- Yashasvi Jaiswal – 124.5
- Rishabh Pant – 126.1
For a middle-order aggressor, those numbers are alarming. Nearly 30 percent of Pant’s balls against spin have been dots over the last two seasons. That completely disrupts middle-over momentum, especially in an era where teams are scoring at record pace because of the Impact Player rule.
Captaincy chaos hurt LSG throughout IPL 2026
The batting decline alone would have been manageable if Pant’s leadership had compensated for it. Instead, the tactical side of LSG’s season often looked messy.
Pant batted in four different positions across the season. He opened once. Then shifted to No. 3 for seven games, pushing Nicholas Pooran away from his best role. Aiden Markram was removed from opening despite success there. Ayush Badoni, who made his name at LSG as a finisher, was suddenly asked to open in a 250-plus chase against Punjab Kings.
Digvesh Rathi was dropped despite decent performances. Shahbaz Ahmed was underused despite balance issues. Avesh Khan kept his place through poor form while bench options sat unused. Against Punjab, Pant preferred Aiden Markram’s part-time off-spin over specialist spinner M. Siddharth because two left-handers were batting. The over went for 32.
Individually, some of these decisions can happen in a long season. However, LSG were caught in a bunch of decisions like these, with Pant being the skipper. It was another horrible season for the Dr. Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise.
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