LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka has confirmed that Rishabh Pant will once again be seen captaining the IPL franchise. He laughed off previous reports which claimed that he could be removed from the captaincy.
Despite a poor campaign in 2025, Lucknow Super Giants will now be looking forward to their upcoming season. He chose new players like Josh Inglis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammed Shami and Anrich Nortje to fill the gaps in his eleven.
LSG owner confirms Rishabh Pant’s captaincy ahead of IPL 2026
Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka, who was earlier in the news over the dispute with former captain KL Rahul, responded to some speculations about ignoring Rishabh Pant’s captaincy ahead of the upcoming IPL season in 2026.
“At the beginning of the season, I read the speculation about @RishabhPant17’s captaincy and smiled. We have spent enough time together to know his character and commitment. Have a great season, Cap!” Goenka wrote on X.
At the beginning of the season, I read the speculation around @rishabhpant17Captain and smiled. We have 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) 26 March 2026
Lucknow Super Giants will start their campaign against Pant’s former franchise Delhi Capitals. Pant will once again lead LSG in the IPL 2026 competition, which Goenka confirmed after brushing aside all speculations.
Rishabh Pant’s bad season for LSG in IPL 2025
Rishabh Pant moved from Delhi Capitals to Lucknow Supergiants ahead of IPL 2025. However, the most expensive IPL player ever did not have a good IPL season as he struggled with the bat and also as a captain.
Under his captaincy, LSG finished 7th in the points table. They lost a total of 8 games out of 14 in the season. Rishabh Pant scored a century in the final group-stage game against RCB.
In 13 innings of the IPL season, he scored only 269 runs with the bat at an average of 24.45. Pant’s strike rate also fell to a 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 has made it to the playoffs twice in the history of IPL. However, they have also missed a playoff spot in the last two seasons. Team owner Sanjiv Goenka believes that the team does not get the expected respect until it wins its first trophy.
Goenka said on JioHotstar, “I think the real identity is still developing. For any sports team, unless you win, you don’t get the same respect or affection that comes with lifting the trophy. Yes, we have made the playoffs twice, but it is clearly not enough. You win some, lose some, but we have to win our first trophy.”
“The positive thing (from IPL 2025) was that we won four of our first six matches despite most of our frontline bowlers being injured. There were some bold moves, Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh opened, which is not their usual position, and it turned out to be their best IPL season for both of them,” he claimed.
The LSG owner also said that Digvesh Rathi came in as a newcomer and has also performed well for the team. However, the boss also realized that he lacked a strong enough fast bowling unit; However, he claimed that he is happy with what he has.
Also Read: Irfan Pathan reveals Yuvraj Singh’s secret method to train Rishabh Pant ahead of IPL 2026
