Rishabh Pant was sacked as captain by LSG? Report claims LSG fired skipper before possible Delhi Capitals return

Rishabh Pant reportedly did not offer to leave Lucknow Super Giants captaincy, rather he was sacked by the team management. An explosive report as leaked all the details.

Rishabh Pant was reportedly sacked as LSG captain by team management, forcing him to search for a new team. Image: Reuters

FirstCricket Staff|Jun 22, 2026, 10:13:10 IST

Rishabh Pant was reportedly fired from the captaincy role at the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after two poor seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pant, who was bought by LSG for a record Rs 27 crore in 2025, guided Lucknow to seventh and 10th places finish in the last two seasons of IPL.

On 29 May, LSG announced that Pant has decided to leave the captaincy and his request has been accepted by the franchise. “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 standard,” LSG Director of Cricket Tom Moody said in a statement.

LSG 'removed' Rishabh Pant as captain?

But a fresh report has made a counterclaim, stating that Pant's removal as LSG captain was a decision initiated by the team management, and it was not the cricketer's 'personal' decision.

Sources have told CricBlogger that LSG management felt Rishabh Pant was "largely responsible" for Lucknow's poor performance in IPL 2026, where they finished at the bottom of the league phase points table.

“Questions are being raised over the haste with which Pant was removed as captain immediately after the IPL season. At the same time, Pant too appeared keen to secure a move elsewhere rather than continue with a franchise where he no longer felt valued,” the source said.

The report added that after being removed from captaincy at LSG, Pant was quick to look for a new franchise before deciding to join his former team, Delhi Capitals. As LSG was satisfied with how Kuldeep Yadav performed in IPL 2026, Lucknow has agreed to a player swap with DC, which will see Pant return to Delhi.

Reportedly, DC co-owner JSW played a big role in pushing the deal as they strongly desired to have Pant return to the team where he first made a name for himself in the IPL.

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