Sanjiv Goenka breaks silence on Rishabh Pant’s rumoured sacking as LSG captain
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LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka has confirmed that Rishabh Pant will once again be seen in a captaincy stint with the IPL franchise. He laughed off the earlier reports that claimed that he might be snubbed from captaincy.
Despite a poor campaign in 2025, the Lucknow Super Giants would now be looking forward to their upcoming season. They picked new players like Josh Inglis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammad Shami, and Anrich Nortje to fill the loopholes in their XI.
LSG owner confirms Rishabh Pant's captaincy ahead of IPL 2026
Sanjiv Goenka, the Lucknow Super Giants owner who was earlier in the buzz for having had a controversy with the former captain KL Rahul, responded to certain speculations around Rishabh Pant's captaincy snub ahead of the upcoming IPL season in 2026.
“Heading into the season, I had read the speculations around @RishabhPant17's captaincy and smiled. We’ve spent enough time together to know his character and commitment. Have a great season, Cap!” Goenka wrote on X.
Heading into the season, I had read the speculations around @RishabhPant17's captaincy and smiled. We’ve spent enough time together to know his character and commitment. Have a great season, Cap!@LucknowIPL #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/h1AXUK4kaw
— Dr. Sanjiv Goenka (@DrSanjivGoenka) March 26, 2026
The Lucknow Super Giants will kickstart their campaign against Pant's former franchise, the Delhi Capitals. Pant will once again be leading LSG in the IPL 2026 contest, which Goenka confirmed after putting aside all speculations.
Rishabh Pant's awful season for LSG in IPL 2025
Rishabh Pant moved from the Delhi Capitals to the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of IPL 2025. However, the costliest-ever IPL player did not have the best of IPL seasons, as he struggled with the bat and also as a captain.
LSG finished in the 7th position in the points table under his captaincy. They lost a total of 8 games out of the total 14 matches in the season. Rishabh Pant scored a century in the final group-stage game against RCB.
He averaged only 24.45 with the bat, scoring just 269 runs across 13 innings of the IPL season. Pant's strike rate also dipped to a major low of 133.16. Apart from that one century, he managed to score just one more half-century in the IPL.
"We have to win our first trophy" - Sanjiv Goenka
LSG have made it to the playoffs twice in the history of the IPL. However, they have also missed out on a playoff spot over the last two seasons. The team owner, Sanjiv Goenka, feels that the team doesn't get the desired respect until it lifts its maiden trophy.
“I think the true identity is still evolving. For any sports team, until you win, you don’t receive the same level of respect or affection that comes with lifting the trophy. Yes, we’ve made the playoffs twice, but that’s clearly not good enough. You win some, you lose some, but we have to win our first trophy," Goenka said on JioHotstar.
“The positive (from IPL 2025) was that we won four of our first six games despite most of our frontline bowlers being injured. There were some bold moves, Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh opening, which isn’t their usual position, and it turned out to be their best IPL season for both of them," he claimed.
The LSG owner also added that Digvesh Rathi came in as a newcomer and also did well for the side. However, the owner too realized that they lacked a strong enough pace bowling unit; however, he claimed they were happy with what they had.
ALSO READ: Irfan Pathan reveals Yuvraj Singh's secret method to train Rishabh Pant ahead of IPL 2026
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