Rishabh Pant is set to be named as the new captain of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. While an official announcement from the franchise is yet to be made, an ESPNcricinfo report has confirmed that the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batter will take over the leadership role.
The Super Giants needed a new captain after they decided not to retain KL Rahul ahead of the mega auction of IPL 2024. KL Rahul led the team for the first three seasons (2022-2024) and led the team to the playoffs in the first two years. However, the 2024 season was disappointing, with LSG finishing in seventh place.
Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of IPL
Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of IPL during the auction. He was bought by Super Giants (LSG) for 27 million rupees. LSG won a fierce bidding war with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, Delhi Capitals (DC) exercised their right-of-match card, forcing LSG to raise their bid to Rs 27 crore.
The wicketkeeper-batter will lead his second IPL franchise as captain. If confirmed, he will become the fourth captain of the Lucknow team, after KL Rahul, Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran. Pant led the Delhi Capitals but was not retained by the franchise, prompting him to enter the auction.
The left-handed batsman represented Delhi Capitals in 111 matches from 2016 to 2024, amassing 3,284 runs at a strike rate of 148.93. He is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. Rishabh Pant led DC in 43 matches over three seasons, securing 23 wins, 19 losses and a winning percentage of 53.48.
RPSG Group is expected to make an announcement on Monday
RPSG Group, the owner of LSG, is expected to make the announcement during a press conference in Kolkata on Monday. According to an IANS report, the new LSG captain will be revealed or the franchise’s new jersey will be unveiled. Some players from the team are also likely to attend the event.
The report said: “Some franchise officials IANS spoke to said either of two things or both could happen at Monday’s press conference: the announcement of a new LSG captain or the unveiling of the franchise’s new jersey, given that are some team players likely to be present.”
Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram in the running for the captaincy
Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, Lucknow Super Giants have retained five players: Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni and Mohsin Khan. Nicholas Pooran was initially the favorite to become LSG captain. Pooran retained LSG for Rs 21 crore before the mega auction.
Besides Pant and Pooran, Mitchell Marsh (Australia T20I captain) and Aiden Markram (South Africa T20I captain) are in the running for the captaincy. Former Australian batsman Justin Langer has been appointed as the head coach while Zaheer Khan will serve as a mentor for the upcoming IPL 2025 season.
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