Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have confirmed that wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has stepped aside from the captaincy role with immediate effect, and the franchise has accepted the decision following the team’s 10th-place finish in IPL 2026. Pant, who previously captained Delhi Capitals in the IPL before his departure, was appointed LSG skipper after Lucknow acquired him at the mega auction in 2024 for a record-breaking fee of Rs 27 crore. However, his tenure brought mixed results as LSG endured consecutive seasons that failed to meet expectations—finishing seventh last year and then ending at the bottom of the points table this season, managing only four wins from 14 matches.
Tom Moody, LSG’s global director of cricket, said in a statement on Friday that the franchise considered Pant’s request seriously. “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,” Moody said.
Across two seasons under Pant’s captaincy, LSG recorded 10 victories and suffered 18 defeats. With the bat, the wicketkeeper-batter—once among the league’s most explosive performers—struggled to replicate his usual impact for Lucknow. Over the two-year span, Pant scored 581 runs at a strike rate of 135.74, figures that fell well below the levels he had shown earlier in his career.
A franchise source also indicated on Friday that Pant’s choice to give up the role only six days after the team’s campaign ended would not come as a major surprise. The reasoning, as explained, was that Pant had already indicated his intention to step away from the top job once the season concluded on a disappointing note for LSG.
The official said Pant had been “very clear” about leaving right after the tournament ended, adding that the plans and vision he had as captain were not working out on the field. The source also pointed to the workload of captaincy and the difficulty of balancing it with his main area of strength, particularly his batting, which was not at its best during this period.
“It’s also understood that Rishabh told the LSG coaching staff and management that it would be selfish of him to continue as captain after yet another disappointing season. Plus, he wants to prioritise his batting in the longer run, especially because he is not an automatic selection for the Indian team in white-ball formats,” the official said.
During the season, Pant had acknowledged that too many different perspectives within the leadership group made his task more complicated. As the uncertainty around his future grew, Moody had also hinted at a possible change in leadership after LSG lost their final league match to Punjab Kings, saying the franchise would consider a reset.
In further comments, the official stressed that Pant’s standards played a significant role in his decision-making. “One key thing to note is that Rishabh has high standards, and if he doesn’t meet them—whether as a batter, a keeper, or as captain—he will realise it quickly even before anyone tells him. Moreover, Rishabh was clear that he did not want to wait until the trading window opened or until retention discussions began for next season. He wanted to speak to the coaches and management about his future as LSG captain,” the source said.
The official added that Pant also felt he had not been able to deliver what LSG supporters expected from a leader, and that weighed on him as well. “So, ultimately, it was a mixed bag of factors behind him leaving the captaincy, and then the franchise also accepted his desire to let go of the leadership armband so that Rishabh can concentrate on his batting,” the official concluded.
