- Rishabh Pant stepped down as LSG captain after IPL 2026.
- Lucknow finished bottom with only four wins this season.
- Pant managed just 10 wins in 28 matches as captain.
The Lucknow Super Giants captain, Rishabh Pant, has stepped down from his position following a disastrous IPL 2026 campaign.
On Friday, May 29, LSG announced that they had accepted Pant’s request to be relieved of his captaincy duties. Lucknow bought Pant for Rs. 27 Crore during the IPL 2025 auction, making him their dream signing.
Despite Pant’s efforts, the side didn’t reach the play-offs during Pant’s two seasons as captain and finished at the bottom of the table in IPL 2026. In 14 matches, Lucknow managed only four wins. In total, Pant had 10 wins during his 28 matches in charge of the team, following an underwhelming 2025 season when they won just six games out of 14.
“Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) wish to formally announce that Rishabh Pant has requested to be relieved of his captaincy duties with the franchise, and the franchisee has accepted his request with immediate effect,” read the statement from Lucknow.
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Pant failed to replicate peak IPL form at Lucknow
Since becoming the captain of the team, Pant’s batting form declined throughout this period as well. Pant was only able to score 312 runs this year after scoring just 269 in 14 games in 2025. Pant, who is considered one of India’s most powerful batters, had some of his best IPL seasons in 2018 and 2019.
He scored 581 runs throughout the course of two seasons at a strike rate below his career average in the league, but he was unable to meet those expectations at Lucknow.
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Tom Moody reacts to Rishabh Pant leaving LSG captaincy
In a statement after LSG’s disastrous 2026 campaign, Tom Moody mentioned a change in guard at LSG, saying that he accepted Pant’s call to step down as skipper, but was grateful for his leadership.
“Rishabh approached the franchisee 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,” said Moody in the press release.
Speaking following LSG’s loss to Punjab Kings, the Director of Cricket acknowledged that the wicketkeeper-batter had struggled to manage the duties of captaincy and speculated that it could have had an impact on his batting performances.
Following LSG’s decline to the bottom of the rankings, Moody had stated that the team would conduct a comprehensive evaluation of every facet of their season, including leadership. Additionally, Moody had emphasized that the team’s difficulties could not be blamed on a single person, maintaining that players, coaches, and management were all accountable for the unsatisfactory outcomes.
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