Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will consider a leadership reset after a bottom-two finish in IPL 2026 following a No. 7 finish in 2025.
Their global director of cricket Tom Moody said in the aftermath of the season that they seriously needed to look at the leadership of the team, which has won ten and lost 18 matches under the captaincy of Rishabh Pant.
"From a captaincy point of view, you know, he's found it challenging, obviously, and the results reflect that," Moody said at the press conference after the loss to Punjab Kings (PBKS). "And you do have to wonder whether that is a pressure that is reflected with 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, we'll reflect on it. We'll consider all things.
"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 taking 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 that we're needing to consider a reset."
Pant, who had sensational 2018 (684 runs at a strike rate of 173.60) and 2019 (488 at 162.66) seasons, has been average with the bat for LSG, scoring 581 runs at a strike rate of 135.74 in two seasons. Both his average and his strike rate in these two years have been inferior to his career numbers. He has also spoken about too many minds in the leadership group during the season.
Moody's comments come after the head coach Justin Langer, too, expressed his disappointment with Pant's performance after the last match.
"I think 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. I think 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 in a calm manner, but there's certain things that we do need to address, and that will be addressed."
If Pant is indeed removed as captain, his won't be the first unceremonious exit of a leader from LSG. KL Rahul, their captain in their first three seasons in the IPL, was not thrilled about his time with the franchise and said he wanted to play in a "lighter" team atmosphere after leaving the franchise.