3 reasons why Rishabh Pant as LSG captain is wrong choice

Why is Rishabh Pant the wrong choice as LSG captain? (Photo Source: Twitter)

Rishabh Pant was picked up by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of IPL 2025 for INR 27 crore, which made him the most expensive pick in the history of the league. He had a forgettable opening match against Delhi Capitals where he failed with the bat, scoring a duck off six balls, and missed a few chances behind the stumps, and some of the bowling changes came under criticism as Delhi Capitals won the match by one wicket. Let us look at some of the reasons why Rishabh Pant might not have been the best choice for captaincy at LSG.

Let’s look at the three reasons why Rishabh Pant as LSG captain is not the best choice:

3. Poor captaincy record in IPL

Rishabh Pant has captained Delhi Capitals for three seasons (2021, 2022, 2024), and the team under his leadership, Delhi Capitals (DC), qualified for the playoffs only once. He has 24 wins as a captain in 43 matches, and some big tactical errors made by him were quite evident throughout his stint with the Capitals.

An example of this was the one that cost them the Qualifier 1 of IPL 2021, where CSK needed 13 off the final over, and he gave the ball to Tom Curran ahead of Rabada and ended up losing both the playoff games in 2021. Rishabh Pant’s captaincy deficiencies were brought to light even more as Delhi Capitals never looked like making it to the playoffs in the new cycle after the Mega Auction in 2022.

2. Struggling with batting form and potential clash with management

The Haridwar-born has been struggling with the bat in the shorter format for quite some time. He also has not made it to the T20I side in the last few series. This was evident in the opening match against DC, where he scored a six-ball duck. Pant walked in to bat when LSG were 133/2 in 11.4 overs, and the platform was set to post a big score, but Pant could not get going as LSG ended up with 209. They were 20 runs short of posting an above-par total.

In the last IPL season, too, Pant failed to match the required rate on many occasions, and his strike-rate inflated only with a couple of cameos in Delhi. Having the roles of captain and wicketkeeper could hinder his batting. In the last season, LSG management and their owner, Sanjiv Goenka, were seen giving lectures to Rahul for his batting and decision-making, and if Goenka ends up going against Pant’s decisions, things can get tricky and can affect the team environment.

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1. Pressure of heavy price tag and availability of better option

Rishabh Pant was picked up by Lucknow Super Giants ahead of IPL 2025 for 27 crores in the auction, and with such a hefty price tag, there would be a lot of pressure from the owners and fans who will be expecting Pant to perform with both batting and wicket-keeping. Not making him captain would have allowed him to focus purely on his batting.

Many options within the LSG squad can step in as captain. Aiden Markram has been the captain of SEC in SA20 and has won them a few titles. Nicholas Pooran recently led MI Emirates in the ILT20 and captained LSG for a few games last season in the absence of KL Rahul. Ayush Badoni has been the captain of Delhi in domestic, and with so many options, LSG could have avoided giving the captaincy to Pant.

Disclaimer: This latest news is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.

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alison richard

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