Rishabh Pant has been officially named as the new captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the upcoming 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, as announced by the franchise's principal owner, Sanjiv Goenka, on Monday.
Pant’s appointment comes after a groundbreaking move in the IPL mega auction held in Jeddah, where LSG secured him for a record-breaking Rs 27 crore, making him the most expensive player in the auction.
The 2025 season will mark Pant's first year as LSG's captain, making him the fourth leader in the franchise’s history. He follows in the footsteps of previous captains KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, and Krunal Pandya.
While LSG has enjoyed a successful start to their IPL journey, reaching the playoffs in both 2022 and 2023, the team faced disappointment in 2024, finishing seventh in the points table with a poor net run rate, ultimately missing out on a playoff spot.
Pant’s appointment as captain marks a significant step in his career. This will be his second stint as an IPL captain, having previously led Delhi Capitals (DC) from 2021 to 2024, with the exception of the 2023 season, which he missed due to injuries sustained in a car accident in December 2022. Pant’s tenure with DC ended on October 31, just before the IPL 2025 retention deadline, with his leadership role being cited as a key factor behind his release.
At LSG, Pant will be working alongside head coach Justin Langer, whom he connected with during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, and team mentor Zaheer Khan. He will lead a formidable batting lineup that includes power hitters like Nicholas Pooran, David Miller, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Ayush Badoni, Aryan Juyal, Abdul Samad, and Himmat Singh.
In the bowling department, Pant will have the support of Indian seamers Akash Deep and Avesh Khan, along with previously retained players like Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, and Mohsin Khan, among others.
With a star-studded lineup and the leadership of Pant, Lucknow Super Giants will be aiming to bounce back strongly and make a competitive impact in IPL 2025.
