Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka has officially dismissed rumours regarding Rishabh Pant leaving the franchise, reaffirming his "complete faith" in the captain ahead of the IPL 2026 season, starting March 28.
Addressing the intense social media speculation following a difficult 2025 campaign, Goenka stated he simply "laughs" at reports of Pant's potential release, attributing the team's poor performance to a "plethora of injuries" rather than leadership failures.
"What will any captain do if he doesn't have four fast bowlers? You have to look at it from what he had. I personally have great confidence in Rishabh Pant. I know you guys (media) keep speculating about whether Rishabh will stay at LSG. I look at all that and only laugh. I think some social media sites need views," Goenka told Sports Tak.
Goenka acknowledged being a "convenient punching bag" on social media but defended Pant by noting they didn’t have the team to challenge for the trophy last season.
"100 per cent (aware of social media memes). But I don't spend much time on social media. I understand 5-10 per cent of social media, so I don't know what the reason is. But Sanjiv Goenka is a punching bag. I live with my conscience; I am a very secure person in my own skin. When I make a mistake, I openly admit I made a mistake. Last year, we didn't even have the team to challenge for the trophy. We made a lot of mistakes, we made mistakes in the auction, mistakes while preparing," he added.
Goenka expressed strong confidence in the team's improved performance for the upcoming season, having signed South African pacer Anrich Nortje and Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis to provide better balance.
"This year, we have tried to plug those mistakes. We realised what comfort a balanced squad gives," he said.
During the IPL 2026 auction, LSG also secured the services of Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Wanindu Hasaranga and Naman Tiwari.
Lucknow Super Giants will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Delhi Capitals at Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 1.
LSG squad for IPL 2026: Rishabh Pant (captain), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh, Mohammed Shami, Arjun Tendulkar, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh.
