A leadership shake-up is edging closer for Lucknow Super Giants after yet another IPL campaign that failed to meet expectations, with captain Rishabh Pant at the centre of the discussion. The franchise’s latest statement follows Lucknow’s home defeat to Punjab Kings in their last league match, a result that has intensified questions over the direction of the team.
After the seventh-wicket loss at home, Lucknow’s management sent out a clear message that a reset could be on the cards. Director of Cricket Tom Moody admitted that handling the pressures of captaincy might have weighed on Pant’s overall impact, and suggested the franchise will examine multiple angles before deciding what comes next.
Quick facts
- Lucknow Super Giants are nearing a leadership reset after another disappointing IPL season.
- Trigger: Lucknow lost their final league game at home to Punjab Kings, suffering a seventh-wicket defeat.
- Tom Moody hinted Pant’s captaincy role may be reviewed, citing the pressure of leadership.
- Pant joined LSG for INR 27 crore after the late-2024 auction.
- Owner Sanjiv Goenka had compared Pant’s future leadership potential to MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.
- In 2025, Lucknow finished seventh and is on course for the wooden spoon in the 2026 season, with only four wins in 14 matches.
- Across two seasons under Pant, LSG recorded 10 wins from 28 matches.
- Moody’s comments came after Lucknow’s 10th defeat of the season.
- Pant recently lost India’s Test vice-captaincy to KL Rahul and was left out of the ODI squad.
Pant’s arrival in Lucknow was seen as a major statement of intent. He was signed for a hefty INR 27 crore following the auction held in late 2024, and expectations were sky-high from owner Sanjiv Goenka, who spoke of Pant operating in the same leadership tier as MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma—widely regarded as two of IPL’s most influential captains.
Those early hopes have not translated into team results. In the 2025 edition, Lucknow ended up seventh, and the franchise now looks set for a tough finish again in 2026, with just four victories from 14 matches. Under Pant’s captaincy, Lucknow managed only 10 wins in 28 matches across two seasons, leaving little room for patience.
Speaking to reporters at the Ekana Stadium after Lucknow’s 10th loss of the season, Moody was direct about the challenge captaincy has posed. “From a captaincy point of view, you know, he’s found it challenging, obviously, and the results reflect that,” Moody said, adding that the pressure of the role may have also shown up in Pant’s batting output.
Moody also signalled that the franchise will not rush its thinking. “I know this season has been difficult for us, but we will reflect on it. We’ll take time. We’ll reflect on it. We’ll consider all things,” he said, pointing to a more thorough review process rather than immediate changes.
The comments arrive shortly after earlier reporting that had framed Pant as the most visible target amid Lucknow’s slide. The narrative at the time suggested Goenka had grown frustrated with the batter’s role in the team’s poor run across two seasons, and that Pant was effectively carrying an immense burden as the captain.
That pressure theme has also been echoed in Moody’s remarks. Across the two seasons, Pant scored 581 runs at a strike rate of 135.74, figures that have not been strong enough to offset the team’s shortcomings. With captaincy responsibilities piling on, the franchise now appears ready to reassess how leadership and performance are aligning.
LSG ready to review its leadership
Moody’s latest statements also come in the wake of changes in Pant’s India commitments. He recently lost the Test vice-captaincy to KL Rahul and was dropped from the ODI squad, a sequence of setbacks that has kept his form and role under fresh scrutiny.
Moody stressed that Lucknow has not met its internal benchmarks, adding that leadership is part of the serious conversations ahead. “But certainly we haven’t lived up to the expectation or the standard that we expect of ourselves. And certainly when it comes to the leadership of the franchise, it’s certainly something that we’ll be taking some very serious consideration to, you know, what it looks like in the future,” he said.
He further indicated that, much like every other department, Lucknow will evaluate what went wrong before mapping the next phase. “Like every department, when you do reflect on a season, we will be making some considered decisions, but it certainly looks like that we’re needing to consider a reset,” Moody added, confirming that the franchise is leaning towards change rather than continuity.
