After a couple of miserable seasons, Rishabh Pant has decided to quit as the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants. As per a release, the southpaw approached the franchise with the request to be relieved of captaincy, which the team has accepted. LSG bought Pant for a whooping sum of Rs 27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction after he was released by DC.
Rishabh Pant quits as LSG captain
Pant has scored just 269 and 312 runs in 2025 and 2026 respectively, and has not only failed to fulfill the expectations as a batter, but also as a captain. LSG finished at the rock bottom of the IPL 2026 points table, having managed to win just 4 out of 14 games. A lot of Pant’s choices in the season, both tactical and in terms of picking the playing XI, have been criticised. In 2025, they finished 7th, winning 6 out of 14 games.
“Rishabh approached the franchise with this request and we have respectfully accepted it. These decisions are never easy. We are grateful for everything Rishabh has brought to this dressing room as captain. Our focus now is on the collective – rebuilding and restructuring to reach the best standards,” LSG team director Tom Moody said.
Earlier this week, LSG director Tom Moody handed hinted at a leadership change, after the team failed to make it to the playoffs yet again. In fact, the southpaw himself had shared a cryptic post, indicating that he would no longer be a part of the leadership group.
“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. 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,” Moody said.
Pant, who was bought by LSG for Rs 27 crore, has underperformed over the last two seasons. LSG replaced KL Rahul with Rishabh Pant as captain in 2025, after releasing the former. It was done in a bid to usher in a new era for the team. However, that hasn’t worked so far. While his numbers as a batter were poor this season, there are several other reasons as to why Pant’s captaincy came under fire. This includes the his own batting positions across games, the shuffling of Aiden Markram, the usage of his bowlers, among other reasons.
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