Rishabh Pant on Friday (May 29) stepped down as the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He requested to be relieved of leadership duties following the franchise's dismal IPL 2026 campaign.
The wicketkeeper-batter was roped in for a hefty sum of Rs 27 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction, but he managed just over 500 runs across two seasons with the franchise.
Under his leadership, the Super Giants endured back‑to‑back disappointing campaigns, with the side finishing seventh last season and slipping further this year by ending at the bottom of the points table. Overall, Pant managed 10 wins and 18 defeats as the LSG skipper.
In his column for Sportstar, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar weighed in on Pant's decision to quit captaincy just two years into the role, criticizing the excessive coaching culture of LSG.
Citing Pant's complaints about having "too many voices in his ear", Gavaskar noted that this was a direct indictment of the support staff, which included heavyweights like Justin Langer, Tom Moody, Bharat Arun, Lance Klusener, and Kane Williamson.
“Rishabh Pant stepping down as the captain of his team, which finished bottom of the table, is the first change in captaincy for the next season, as there could well be many more before the new season starts next year. He did say on more than one occasion that there were too many voices in his ear and too many thought processes, which is definitely not a compliment to the support staff. Whether that leads to a wholesale change at the franchise will be interesting to see,” Gavaskar wrote.
“Talk is easy, and it is cheap too, and making big claims like some coaches have, may make good headlines, but cricket has a funny way of biting on the backside,” he added.
Gavaskar advised franchises to follow the blueprint of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower, who quietly led his team to back-to-back IPL titles without seeking media attention or filling his staff with "golfing and beer-drinking buddies".
“Andy Flower, the coach of RCB, which has now won two back-to-back titles, is a fine example of someone who works quietly, with no big statements that make headlines. And no golfing and beer-drinking buddies as members of his support staff either,” Gavaskar wrote further.
“Maybe there’s a lesson there. If only those who appoint them could see that, then their teams would not be out of contention even before the first month of the tournament is over,” he remarked.
