Indian batting star announced new captain of Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2025

India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant has been announced captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. Sanjiv Goenka, owner of the franchise, along with Pant, held a special chat in Kolkata to make the announcement on Monday, January 20.

Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of the IPL. He was signed by LSG for a massive amount of ₹27 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction. The left-hander was released by the Delhi Capitals after the 2024 edition, bringing an end to a nine-year association.

LSG broke the bank to acquire the services of Pant for the upcoming and further seasons. As they spent a massive sum on him, it was being anticipated that he would lead the side. Their previous captain KL Rahul was released and LSG were looking for an experienced guy as a replacement.

Pant previously led the Delhi Capitals and comes with leadership experience on both domestic and international stages. He will now be the fourth player to captain the Lucknow Super Giants after Krunal Pandya, KL Rahul, and Nicholas Pooran.

“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 connect with the players, teams and thought process is different. Conventional thought process lacks uniqueness. I see him as a leader. He will probably be the best captain IPL has seen,” Sanjiv Goenka said during the chat. (Via News18).

---

Can Rishabh Pant lead Lucknow Super Giants to their maiden IPL title?

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are among the teams to have never won an IPL title yet. The franchise played its first season in 2022 and has participated in three seasons so far.

In their maiden season, they finished third in the league stage and made the playoffs. They maintained the momentum in the following edition as well, once again reaching the last four. However, they failed to go the distance on both occasions.

During the 2024 season, they could not make the playoffs and finished seventh in the table. The Lucknow Super Giants will be keen to bounce back as they aim for their first-ever IPL title in IPL 2025.

With Rishabh Pant now set to lead the side, expectations will be high and he will be under pressure to deliver at the helm. He has played 43 matches in the IPL as captain and has won 23 of them with a win percentage of 53.48.

With the franchise investing heavily and putting their faith in him, it will be interesting to see how Rishabh Pant goes about his new role.