LSG will finish in the bottom half of the IPL 2026 tournament.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Director of Cricket Tom Moody has revealed that the team management is considering a captaincy overhaul after two poor IPL performances. LSG Director of Cricket Tom Moody has admitted that Rishabh Pant has struggled with captaincy pressure.
Depending on the outcome of the Mumbai Indians, LSG, who were seventh in 2025, are expected to finish either ninth or tenth at the end of the 2026 season. The team only earned 10 victories in 28 games over the course of two seasons with Rishabh Pant as captain, who was bought for INR 27 crores in the IPL 2025 auction.
"From a captaincy point of view, you know, he's found it challenging, obviously, and the results reflect that. And you do have to wonder whether that is a pressure that is reflected in his performance with the bat. I know that this season has been a difficult season for us, but we will reflect on it; we'll take time, and we'll reflect on it. We'll consider all things,” Moody told reporters after the loss to the Punjab Kings on Saturday.
Widely regarded as one of India's most destructive batters, the wicketkeeper-opener had outstanding seasons in 2018 and 2019, scoring 684 runs at a strike rate of 173.60 and 488 runs at 162.66, respectively.
However, he has failed to replicate that impact at LSG, scoring 581 runs at a strike rate of 135.74 across two seasons, which is lower than his career strike rate of 144.18.
“But certainly, we haven't lived up to the expectation or the standard that we expect of ourselves. And certainly, when it comes to the leadership of the franchise, it's certainly something that we'll be giving some very serious consideration to, you know, what it looks like in the future.
Like every department, when you do reflect on a season, we will be making some considered decisions, but it certainly looks like we're needing to consider a reset." Despite the disappointing campaign, Moody refrained from singling out individuals and instead accepted collective responsibility for the team's struggles. We're all responsible (for the disappointing season)," Moody said.
"I don't think it's a time to point the finger at any individual. We all take accountability, and now's not the time to be apportioning blame in any particular department. We all need time to reflect on it calmly, but there are certain things that we do need to address, and those will be addressed,” Moody added.
Punjab Kings’ 7-wicket win over LSG has kept them alive in the race for the playoffs. However, PBKS' qualifying chances now hinge on Sunday's match between the Rajasthan Royals, who have 14 points, and the already-eliminated Mumbai Indians.
A win for Rajasthan would move them to 16 points and secure the final playoff position, eliminating Punjab from contention.
(PTI inputs)