Rishabh Pant given Leadership Lollipop by Sanjiv Goenka as LSG captaincy Musical Chair intensifies

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka is satisfied with the squad assembled for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. Goenka's comments also didn't make it clear as to who would captain LSG in IPL 2025 if not Rishabh Pant.

Sanjiv Goenka also stated that the leadership strength within the squad includes four leaders, including Team India wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant.

The Super Giants acquired Rishabh Pant at a record-breaking price of Rs 27 crore in the 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history. LSG outbid Delhi Capitals, who chose not to use their RTM card after the bid reached Rs 27 crore.

Lucknow Super Giants Picked Overseas Batters During IPL 2025 Mega Auction

The Super Giants retained Nicholas Pooran for Rs 21 crore before the auction, along with Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Mayank Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi. LSG added South African batters Aiden Markram and David Miller, along with Australian T20I captain Mitchell Marsh, to strengthen their batting lineup.

David Miller was their most expensive overseas buy at Rs 7.50 crore in the auction. The Lucknow-based franchise brought young fast bowler Avesh Khan back and added Indian pacer Akash Deep to bolster their bowling attack. Avesh Khan was picked for Rs 9.75 crore and Akash Deep for Rs 8 crore.

Our Focus Was on Strengthening Our Middle Order and Finishing - Sanjiv Goenka

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' Sanjiv Goenka said that the franchise focused on building a strong middle order. Goenka stated that they backed the all-Indian pace attack rather than international pacers.

"Our internal feeling is that our auction was excellent. Our focus was that our middle order and finishing should be extremely strong. Our No. 3 to No. 8 is very strong. Our second wish was to go with a completely Indian-pace attack instead of international pace, and explosive international batters. Now we have got a combination of the two," Goenka replied.

"We have four leaders in our team - Rishabh, Pooran, Markram and Mitch Marsh. So it becomes a very strong leadership pool of intellect and thought, and strategy. They are all people who can go with the mindset to win. Rishabh has the hunger and passion to win. So a good team has been built. We are happy. Overall, the balance is also okay and no team is 10 on 10," he added.

Saw a Video of Rishabh Pant Where He Did Dramebaazi - Sanjiv Goenka

In the same video, Sanjiv Goenka revealed that he wanted Rishabh Pant in the Lucknow Super Giants after watching his game-changing tactics during the 2024 T20 World Cup final. He said that Pant showed a sharp mindset under pressure by removing his pads to disrupt the opposition's momentum.

"I saw a video of Rishabh where he did dramebaazi (acting) on the field. He slowed the momentum. I liked that attitude a lot, that you have that extra thought to change the momentum when everything was going against us by removing the pads. From that time, I had in my mind that if only Rishabh had been in my team," Goenka said.

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