Rishabh Pant Steps Down as LSG Captain After Disastrous IPL 2026 Season

After two disappointing seasons, Rishabh Pant has stepped down as captain of the Lucknow Super Giants. According to a release, Pant asked the franchise to remove him from the captaincy role, and the team agreed.

LSG had bought Pant for a huge amount of Rs 27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction after he was released by the Delhi Capitals. Pant has scored just 269 and 312 runs in 2025 and 2026 respectively, and has not only failed to fulfill the expectations as a batter, but also as a captain.

LSG finished at the rock bottom of the IPL 2026 points table, having managed to win just 4 out of 14 games. A lot of Pant’s choices in the season, both tactical and in terms of picking the playing XI, have been criticised. In 2025, they finished 7th, winning 6 out of 14 games.

“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,” LSG team director Tom Moody said.

Rishabh Pant quits as LSG captain after poor IPL 2026

Earlier this week, Tom Moody, the director of Lucknow Super Giants, hinted that there could be a change in leadership after the team once again failed to reach the playoffs. In fact, the left-handed batter himself had posted a cryptic message on social media, suggesting that he would no longer be part of the team’s leadership group.

“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. 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,” Moody said.

Rishabh Pant, who was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 27 crore, has not performed well over the last two seasons. LSG had replaced KL Rahul with Pant as captain in 2025 after releasing Rahul, hoping to start a new chapter for the team. However, the move has not given the desired results so far.

While his numbers as a batter were poor this season, there are several other reasons as to why Pant’s captaincy came under fire. This includes the his own batting positions across games, the shuffling of Aiden Markram, the usage of his bowlers, among other reasons.