Rishabh Pant may exit Lucknow Super Giants after losing captaincy and poor season: Reports

Rishabh Pant stares at a possible exit from Lucknow Super Giants after losing the captaincy on Friday. The release from LSG said that the wicketkeeper-batter had requested to be 'relieved' of the captaincy duties.

But after seventh and 10th place finishes in the 2025 and 2026 seasons of IPL under the Rs 27 crore Rishabh, it's difficult to see how Pant could have continued as the captain.

“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 the statement.

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LSG to dump Pant?

Now Cricbuzz reports that Pant could also be released by LSG to lower their wage bill.

Besides failing with captaincy, the 28-year-old Pant has only scored 581 in 28 matches over the last two IPL seasons at an average of 31. For the unversed, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs in 16 IPL 2027 matches at an average of 48.50 and a mind-blowing strike rate of 237.31.

Also Read | Rishabh Pant gone, four more IPL captains could face the axe after make-or-break IPL season

The report added that LSG could look to buy Pant back at a lower price in the auction. However, the final decision has not been taken by the leadership group, but there's a feeling that Rs 27 crore could allow them to have "far better value" than Pant.

A mercurial talent, Pant is not going to be short of suitors even if he is released by LSG. However, it's impossible to see him attracting Rs 27 crore bid anytime in the near future.

Interestingly, Nicholas Pooran, who was retained for Rs 21 crore, may survive the axe. He scored just 234 runs in IPL 2026, but LSG management could keep faith with the West Indian, who amassed 524 runs last season.