Rishabh Pant is no longer the captain of Lucknow Super Giants. The wicketkeeper-batter walked up to the franchise management himself and told them he wanted to step down. LSG confirmed the news on Friday, May 29, through a statement from director of cricket Tom Moody. The team had just finished last in IPL 2026, their worst result since joining the league.
LSG’s director of cricket, Tom Moody, confirmed the news through an official statement, saying the franchise had accepted Pant’s request. The decision marks the end of a difficult two-year stint as captain for the 28-year-old.
Why Pant Walked Away from the LSG Captaincy
Pant did not wait for the franchise to make the call. He went to the management himself and initiated the conversation. Moody acknowledged this, stating that Pant had approached the franchise with the request, and they respected his decision.
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out programme, Moody was candid about the reasoning. He said the last couple of years had been hard for Pant, and that he had not reached the heights expected of him. Moody added that stepping away from captaincy was the right decision — both for Pant personally and for the franchise.
The numbers back that up. Under Pant’s leadership, LSG won 10 and lost 18 matches across IPL 2025 and 2026. The team finished seventh in 2025 and tenth/ last in 2026. His personal batting form was equally underwhelming. He scored 269 runs at a strike rate of 133.16 in IPL 2025 and 312 runs at a strike rate of 138.05 in IPL 2026 — numbers that fall well short of what is expected from the most expensive player in IPL history.
Pant was bought by LSG at the IPL 2025 mega auction for INR 27 crore, after being released by Delhi Capitals. He arrived with significant expectations and plenty of fanfare, but neither his batting nor his captaincy delivered.
Tom Moody Flags Leadership Reset at LSG
Moody made it clear that a leadership overhaul was already on the cards before Pant made his move. He had publicly said after LSG’s final game that the franchise needed to consider a leadership reset, and most people within the setup understood what that meant.
The three-year record under two captains — KL Rahul led the side from 2022 to 2024, finishing seventh twice, and Pant then guided them to seventh and tenth — left little room for argument. Change was needed.
Moody confirmed no timeline has been set for naming a new captain. The franchise is likely to wait until a full season review is completed before making any announcement. The IPL auction, expected in December, may be when the new leadership structure becomes official.
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Who Could Lead LSG in IPL 2027
Three names are doing the rounds inside LSG. Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran are all senior overseas players in the squad with leadership experience at various levels. Any one of them could realistically be handed the job.
Pant’s place in the squad itself is not yet confirmed. Moody said it was too early to talk about that — the review has not started, the season has not even fully finished. What happens to Pant as a player will depend on what direction LSG decide to take heading into 2027.
For now, he steps away from the captaincy and goes back to being just a batter. Whether that change is enough to bring back the old Pant remains to be seen.
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