Rishabh Pant 'relieved' from Lucknow Super Giants' captaincy after nightmarish IPL 2026 campaign

Rishabh Pant has been relieved from his captaincy duties in the Lucknow Super Giants following the franchise's lowly tenth-place finish in the 2026 Indian Premier League on Friday.

Under Rishabh Pant's captaincy, the Lucknow Super Giants finished tenth in the 2026 Indian Premier League standings. Image: Reuters

FirstCricket Staff|May 29, 2026, 17:30:24 IST

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has stepped down from his captaincy duties at Lucknow Super Giants following the team's last-place finish in the 2026 Indian Premier League.

On Friday, LSG made the announcement official on social media, confirming that Pant formally requested to 'be relieved of his captaincy duties' with the team. The IPL franchise accepted the cricketer's request with immediate effect.

Rishabh Pant 'relieved' from LSG captaincy

LSG Director of Cricket Tom Moody addressed the development, confirming Rishabh's request and acknowledging that such decisions are never easy. He expressed gratitude to the wicketkeeper-batter for his contributions as captain and reaffirmed the team’s focus on their collective goal of rebuilding to the highest standard.

"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," Moody said in the statement.

Pant's LSG captaincy stint marred with difficulties

Rishabh stepped in as KL Rahul's successor after being bought by LSG for a record-setting INR 27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction, making him the most expensive player in the tournament's history.

But his tenure as Lucknow's captain proved challenging, as LSG finished seventh in 2025 and are placed in a lowly tenth this season. His batting returns were modest, scoring 312 runs at a strike rate of 138.05 this season and 269 runs at a strike rate of 133.16 last year.

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

LSG's statement did not mention Rishabh's immediate successor, and it remains unclear whether the franchise will wait until the IPL auction to appoint a new captain.

The team, however, has a couple of captaincy options, with Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram being potential contenders for the role.

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