Rishabh Pant was on Monday unveiled as the new captain of the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League 2025, that starts March 21 and runs till May 25.
Pant, who emerged the most expensive player in the IPL mega auction, held at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last year, was roped in by the LSG franchise for a whopping Rs 27 crore. Franchise owner Sanjeev Goenka was effusive in his praise for the dashing wicketkeeper-batter, and went on to predict that the southpaw will emerge as one of the best IPL captains ever.
“I think Rishabh Pant is going to finish as one of the best IPL captains ever. In 10-12 years time, you would hear his name associated with MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma,” Goenka said.
Goenka sees big things from his new skipper, as he expects the 27-year-old to become the greatest player in the tournament’s history and praises his relaxed but passionate approach in terms of leadership.
“Rishabh Pant isn’t just going to be the best player of LSG but of IPL itself. Never seen someone with so much passion. He’s the boy next door; his connection with the players, teams, and thought process is different. Conventional thought processes lack uniqueness,” Goenka shared.
The LSG owner also highlighted how it was needed for the franchise to create a platform with mutual trust and learn to take lessons from their wins and losses.
“Rishabh Pant knows a few players, doesn’t know others. We have to create a platform where there’s mutual trust. End of the day, you want to win. You won’t win every game—losing and winning are part and parcel. You learn to take defeat with victory,” Goenka said.
Pant, who will become the fourth player to lead the LSG in the IPL, committed his 200 percent to repay his faith in the franchise.
“Thank you to the LSG family for showing faith in me. I will give my 200% and that’s my commitment to you. I will try whatever is in my power to repay the faith you have shown. Looking forward to having a new beginning with new energy and just having a blast out there, and having lots of fun,” Pant said, alongside team owner Goenka and mentor Zaheer Khan, in Kolkata on Monday.
Prior to him, KL Rahul, Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran had all captained the team in the world’s richest franchise cricket league. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, LSG retained five players: Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni, and Mohsin Khan.
Pant moves to LSG after a long stint with Delhi Capitals – he was with the franchise since 2016, took over its captaincy in 2021 and led all through barring the 2023 season when he was recuperating from a serious car accident.
The next edition of the cash-rich tournament will kick off at the Eden Gardens, where Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their title defence on March 21.