Rishabh Pant could be sacked from captaincy as LSG 'seriously considering leadership reset'

Lucknow Super Giants have dropped a big hint on their leadership plans for next season, putting Rishabh Pant's captaincy under serious threat at the franchise. LSG are set to finish on the bottom of the table this year for the first time since their Indian Premier League (2026) debut in 2022.

LSG tasted their 10th defeat of the season in their final league game as Punjab Kings decimated them to secure a seven-wicket victory in Lucknow on Saturday. The defeat condemned the Lucknow franchise to the last place in the table where they are likely to remain.

Pant's captaincy future looks bleak

Pant was bought for Rs 27 crore by LSG ahead of the 2025 season, the highest sum till date for any player in the IPL auction. However, the left-hander has looked like a pale shadow of his former self with both bat and as a leader.

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LSG finished seventh last season with six wins and eight defeats and now this year, they have done worse, losing 10 and winning just four games. Pant has also been horribly out of touch with the bat. His average has been in 20s and strike rate in 130s, both extremely poor for a top batter.

"I know this season has been a difficult one for us, but we will reflect on it. We’ll take time, consider all aspects, and assess things properly. Certainly, we haven’t lived up to the expectations or the standards we set for ourselves. When it comes to the leadership of the franchise, that is something we will be giving very serious consideration to in terms of what it looks like in the future," LSG Director of Cricket Tom Moody said at the post-match press conference after the team's final league game.

"Like every department, when you reflect on a season, we will be making considered decisions. It certainly looks like we need to consider a reset," he added in a comment seen as a threat to Pant's captaincy.

However, Moody was quick to add that the comment is not about any individual and the entire team needed to share the responsibility of the failure.

"We’re all responsible. I don’t think this is the time to point fingers at any individual. We all have to take accountability. As I said, now is not the time to put blame to any particular department. We need time to reflect on this calmly, but there are certainly things we need to address, and those will be addressed," Moody said.