Lucknow Super Giants coach drops major hint on Rishabh Pant's possible sacking after IPL 2026

The honeymoon period is over for Lucknow Super Giants. For the first time since the team signed Rishabh Pant as the most expensive player in IPL history, serious questions are being raised about whether the partnership is working. LSG’s IPL 2026 season ended in a big disappointment. Before the season, the franchise had added big names like Kane Williamson, Tom Moody, and Bharat Arun to strengthen the team management.

However it resulted in four wins all season, a bottom-two finish, constant chopping and changing in the batting order, and tactical decisions that often left even former players scratching their heads. Now, global director of cricket Tom Moody has publicly admitted that the franchise is considering a “reset”. Speaking after LSG’s defeat to Punjab Kings, Moody stopped short of directly blaming Pant, but his comments gave enough hint to indicate that serious discussions are coming.

“From a captaincy point of view, he’s found it challenging, obviously, and the results reflect that, and you do have to wonder whether that pressure is reflected with his performance with the bat,” Moody said in the post match press conference.

“Certainly when it comes to the leadership of the franchise, it’s something that we’ll be taking some very serious consideration to regarding what it looks like in the future.”

Rishabh Pant’s Batting And Captaincy Under Serious Scanner At LSG

Rishabh Pant was not signed only to captain Lucknow Super Giants. He was brought in as the face of the franchise and became the highest-paid player in IPL history. The team expected him to provide strong middle-order batting, good leadership, and star power all at once.

Punjab Kings also spent heavily on Shreyas Iyer because they believed he could deliver the same qualities, and he mostly lived up to expectations. Pant, however, has not been able to do that so far. Despite spending INR 27 crore on him, LSG has continued to support him for two straight seasons. The main thing that is hurting LSG is that Rishabh Pant, the batter, has been non-existent. His leadership skills are never talked about highly.

So, naturally, the load comes to how well he performs. And in that, there is so much left to be desired. From 2017 to 2019, Pant was arguably the most destructive Indian batter in the IPL. During that period, he scored 1538 runs at a strike rate of 168.08. Only AB de Villiers and Andre Russell struck quicker against pace. Now, he looks like a completely different batter. He can’t easily hit down the ground, often going for fancy scoops or dabs around the leg.

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