The old saying that a captain’s worth is judged by what their team delivers is hitting hard for Rishabh Pant and Ajinkya Rahane as Lucknow Super Giants take on Kolkata Knight Riders this Sunday in the IPL. For both franchises, leadership is no longer just a tactical label—it has become a central talking point, reflecting wider questions about momentum and performance as their seasons slip away. KKR’s decision to back Rahane after an underwhelming IPL 2025 campaign was debated even before the first ball, and the unease has only grown as wins have remained scarce.
Kolkata took seven matches to register their opening victory of the tournament. The relief win, however, did not arrive through a sustained team revival; it was steered by Rinku Singh’s standout brilliance rather than a broad-based improvement across departments. Rahane has, at times, shown a more positive intent, including a knock of 67 from 40 balls against Mumbai Indians and a quickfire 41 off 24 against Lucknow Super Giants. Still, in a competition defined by pace and impact, those starts have rarely turned into innings that truly change the course of games.
With Rahane approaching 38, the argument for continuity as a long-term T20 leader is becoming harder to ignore. The captaincy case has also been complicated by a bowling unit that has been stretched and by a subdued beginning from spin spearhead Varun Chakravarthy. Alongside head coach Abhishek Nayar—whose own season featured an equally disappointing campaign with UP Warriorz in this year’s Women’s Premier League—Rahane has faced criticism in key areas, particularly around team composition and how resources have been used across matches.
Selection questions have extended beyond Rohane’s on-field role as well. Rachin Ravindra has continued to find himself warming the bench, while Finn Allen and Tim Seifert have appeared in and out of the XI without a clear pattern. Even Rahane’s toss decisions have looked questionable. One example came when KKR chose to bat on a two-paced, moisture-affected wicket against Gujarat Titans, only for their innings to collapse to 32/3. Another instance arrived in a similar scenario against Punjab Kings under overcast skies, when they were jolted to 25/2 after two overs before rain cut across the match.
Rahane’s batting has taken a more aggressive turn at points, but his decision-making has not consistently carried conviction. His most recent output underlines that gap, with consecutive ducks—most notably when the match demanded composure against Rajasthan Royals. Instead, he fell to an expansive stroke that left Kolkata in deeper trouble, and it was only Rinku’s unbeaten 53 that steadied the chase and rescued the result.
KKR may be heading to Ekana Stadium with a touch of momentum, but the bigger picture remains stark. With only three points from the tournament so far, the side now need at least six wins from their remaining seven matches, a run that now looks extremely unlikely given their current rhythm and consistency.
Lucknow Super Giants’ situation is equally uncomfortable. Sitting ninth at the halfway stage with just two wins, the Pant-led group is also staring at an early exit from the race. Four straight defeats have piled pressure onto the dressing room, and several on-field calls from their captain have come under scrutiny as the season has turned against them.
Pant’s form has been the most visible concern. After an unbeaten, match-winning 67 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he has managed only 72 runs across five innings. That includes a three-ball duck against Rajasthan Royals, a dismissal that captured the nature of his current struggles. In the chase of 160 on a difficult pitch at Lucknow, Pant walked in following an early run-out and responded in a reckless manner. The situation required patience and awareness, but he offered neither, and against a disciplined Rajasthan attack featuring Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger, the need to protect wickets in the powerplay was crucial—something Pant’s approach did not reflect.
Lucknow’s difficulties are not limited to batting alone. Their home record has been poor, and Ekana Stadium has not provided the usual platform for the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise. Last season, they lost six of eight matches there, including five in a row, while this year they have already suffered three consecutive defeats. Across the venue, Lucknow have managed only nine wins from 24 games overall.
On the batting front, consistency has been missing, with frequent collapses at the top exposing a middle order that has not fired regularly. Overseas impact has also fallen short. Nicholas Pooran has contributed 73 runs, and Aiden Markram has made 162, yet neither has delivered the kind of performances that typically tilt matches in Lucknow’s favour. Even the early positives have dimmed: the round one phase belonged largely to Pant’s side, which unearthed a new talent in Mukul Choudhary, but after his 27-ball 54 not out, his momentum has faded.
KKR, though, could receive a timely boost. They are set to welcome Matheesha Pathirana back into the squad, with the Sri Lankan fast-bowling recruit—signed for Rs 18 crore—coming into contention for his debut in the purple jersey. If he does replace Tim Seifert, Pathirana’s presence could sharpen an attack that has struggled to consistently find penetration. Known for his ability to land deadly yorkers, Pathirana has recently been honing his craft under bowling coach Tim Southee, and his potential battle with Mitchell Marsh and Pant could end up being one of the key matchups of the evening.
Looking at captaincy records, the contrast in outcomes is also stark. Rahane has won six matches and lost 12 in 20 outings as KKR skipper, while under Pant, Lucknow have won eight times and lost on 13 occasions across 21 matches. As both teams head into the contest, those numbers add weight to the growing debate about whether their captains can arrest the slide and turn the season around.
Probable Playing XIs
- LSG: Rishabh Pant (captain), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan.
- KKR: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep, Blessing Muzarabani, Navdeep Saini, Prashant Solanki, Finn Allen, Daksh Kamra, Kartik Tyagi, Sarthak Ranjan, Saurabh Dubey.
The match begins at 7:30 PM. PTI TAP TAP AH AH (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
