A major shocker from Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has taken the cricketing world by surprise as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) officially announced that captain Rishabh Pant had reached out to the franchise requesting to be relieved from leadership duties.
The franchise accepted Pant’s request, meaning the Indian wicketkeeper-batter will no longer lead the Lucknow-based side from IPL 2027 onwards.
Pant was appointed LSG captain after the franchise spent a record-breaking ₹27 crore to acquire him during the IPL 2025 mega auction held on November 24, 2024, making him the most expensive player in IPL history.
However, after two disappointing seasons under his leadership, the 28-year-old has now decided to step away from the captaincy role.
Also Read: Big News: Rishabh Pant steps down as LSG captain after horrendous campaign in IPL 2026
Poor performances under Pant’s leadership became the biggest reason
The first and biggest reason behind Pant stepping down appears to be Lucknow Super Giants’ disastrous performances during the last two IPL seasons. After being appointed captain ahead of IPL 2025, expectations were sky-high from RishabhPant to lead the franchise into a new era.
However, things never really clicked for LSG under his leadership. In IPL 2025, Lucknow managed to win only six matches out of 14 league games and failed to qualify for the playoffs, eventually finishing seventh on the points table.
The situation became even worse in IPL 2026. LSG endured a horrible campaign and became only the second team to get eliminated from the tournament. The franchise finished at the very bottom of the standings with just four wins and ten defeats from 14 matches.
The continuous struggles, tactical inconsistencies and inability to deliver results under pressure reportedly played a major role in Pant deciding to step down as captain.
Pressure of ₹27 crore and form dip also added to Pant’s struggles
Another major reason behind Pant’s decision was the constant pressure of justifying his massive ₹27 crore price tag. After becoming the most expensive player in IPL history during the 2025 mega auction, expectations from the Indian star skyrocketed both as a batter and captain.
However, Pant could not consistently deliver the performances expected from him. In IPL 2025, the left-handed batter scored 269 runs in 14 matches at an average of 24.45 and a strike rate of 133.17. He managed one half-century and one century during the season.
His numbers improved slightly in IPL 2026, but they still fell below expectations considering his reputation and price tag. RishabhPant scored 312 runs in 14 games at an average of 28.36 and a strike rate of 138.05 while managing just one fifty throughout the campaign.
The constant scrutiny over his form, combined with Lucknow’s poor performances as a team, eventually seems to have pushed Pant towards giving up captaincy responsibilities in order to focus more on his batting and overall game.