Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka's bold claim on Rishabh Pant goes viral after the wicketkeeper-batter stepped down as the franchise's captain
on Friday, May 29. This comes after LSG's dismal Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign in 2026, where they finished at the foot of the standings with just eight points to their name.
Pant was initially signed by the Lucknow-based franchise for a whopping INR 27 crore in the 2025 mega auction and was instantly made captain of the side.
In an older video, Goenka was seen putting high hopes on the left-handed batter, stating that he could remain the team's captain for 15 years, where he could help LSG win as many as five or six IPL titles. The owner aimed to see Pant get compared to the likes of Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni, who have each captained their respective franchises to five trophies.
However, those claims have backfired after Pant resigned from the captaincy.
The old video clip of Goenka talking highly of Rishabh Pant can be seen below:
But Goenka ji what about this 15 years ?? 😭 https://t.co/Azx83UbES3 pic.twitter.com/zeLOtQDVPN
— Phunsuk Wangdu (@Phunsukwangduji) May 29, 2026
Not only did LSG struggle under Pant's leadership, but the Indian wicketkeeper himself had an underwhelming season with the bat. The 28-year-old scored 312 runs at an average of 28.36, whilst striking at 138.05. He hit just one half-century all season and did not bat at one designated number, which would have allowed him some stability.
It is worth mentioning that LSG have now gone three seasons without qualifying for the playoffs. They last finished inside the top four in 2023 and have since finished seventh twice before ending in 10th place in the 2026 season.
LSG will now be looking for a new captain for 2027. One of the options in their ranks is Mitchell Marsh, who captains Australia in T20Is and also steps in to lead in One Day Internationals in the absence of Pat Cummins.
