Will Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) finally release Rishabh Pant? This question has been on the minds of the fans and experts since the disastrous campaign of the Sanjiv Goenka-owned team ended in IPL 2026.
After two seasons, twenty-eight matches, the INR 27 crore player has guided the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to just ten victories, and the numbers have been quite alarming.
Performance vs Salary Value
When LSG paid a record ₹27 crore for Rishabh Pant ahead of IPL 2025, the logic was straightforward: a generational wicketkeeper-batter, a proven match-winner, someone who could drag the franchise to the title win. But what they got was a seventh-placed finish in IPL 2025 and a tenth-placed finish in IPL 2026.
In IPL 2025, Rishabh Pant's numbers were horrible as he scored 269 runs in 14 innings, with 118 of those coming in one inconsequential match. IPL 2026 offered a fresh start with the same ugly pattern underneath, as he scored just 312 runs in 14 innings.
In comparison, Mitchell Marsh, who is worth INR 3.40 crore, smashed 563 runs this season at a strike rate of 163.19. LSG's batting has been the core problem, and Rishabh Pant's contribution has consistently fallen short of what the franchise needs from their most expensive player.
Captaincy Impact
The scrutiny of Rishabh Pant's captaincy has been relentless and, on the evidence, deserved. Pant himself admitted to confusion in the moment.
This season, Pant publicly acknowledged "too many minds" in the leadership group, which was a hint that a setup featuring Justin Langer, Tom Moody, Kane Williamson, and Bharat Arun left him without the authority he needed to captain freely. That may be a fair point. But it is also the environment LSG built around him, and he never found a way to cut through it.
Tom Moody, speaking after the final league game, did not mince his words and stated that LSG need to "consider a reset" in leadership.
Team Balance Issues
The structural problem at LSG is not one player; it is a squad built around batting firepower with chronic bowling fragility. Injuries to Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav across the two seasons hurt badly. Mohammed Shami and Prince Yadav have done a decent job, but the bowling attack has rarely felt settled.
Rishabh Pant's batting position has added to the chaos. He came in at different spots across two seasons. A captain changing his own batting position often signals neither clarity of role nor confidence from the dressing room.
Possible Replacement as Captain
Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh are two obvious names as both captain their T20I sides, South Africa and Australia, and are capable options if LSG restructure the overseas balance.
The decision is not really about who replaces Pant. It is about whether LSG can afford to keep paying INR 27 crore for a player who is no longer in India's ODI and T20I setup, has been removed from the Test leadership group, and has delivered two of the most expensive underperformances in IPL history.
Why LSG May Still Retain Him?
The argument for keeping Pant is not entirely without merit. He is 28 years old, at the peak of what should be his physical prime, and there are still flashes of brilliance. Justin Langer was careful to note that Pant's character through difficult times impressed him, and a coach does not say that about a player he wants gone.
There is also the question of what releasing him actually solves. LSG's overall team combination structural failure. Releasing Pant frees up ₹27 crore of purse space but does not automatically make the team combination better.
Brand and Commercial Value
Rishabh Pant remains one of the most marketable cricketers in India. His name sells tickets, moves merchandise, and generates media attention regardless of form.
Sanjiv Goenka understands this, as it was partly why LSG went to INR 27 crore in the first place. Releasing him hands that commercial pull to a rival franchise.
Should LSG release Rishabh Pant? The Honest verdict
Not because he is a bad cricketer, he is not, and anyone who watched him at his best with the Delhi Capitals knows what he can do. But because two seasons of evidence have shown that the combination of captaincy pressure, a crowded leadership group, and the weight of a record price tag has produced a version of Pant that is nowhere near what LSG need.
The franchise has backed him publicly and built the entire squad around his presence. None of it has worked. Tom Moody calling for a leadership reset at the end of the season is not a subtle signal. It is the writing on the wall.
Releasing Pant, restructuring the team combination, and handing the captaincy to Markram or Marsh gives LSG the best chance of a different result in IPL 2027. Retaining him gives them a third season of the same story. The honest verdict is the obvious one. They just need someone at LSG to say it out loud.
Also Read: Rishabh Pant’s captaincy under threat as LSG plan reset after IPL 2026
