New Delhi, March 26 – Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), dismissed rumors about Rishabh Pant’s captaincy following “false reports” that suggested the wicketkeeper-batter was losing his leadership role within the franchise ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, and wished the 28-year-old good luck for the tournament.
Pant, who captained LSG, faced intense scrutiny during IPL 2025. Despite being bought for a significant Rs. 27 crore in the previous year's mega auction, he failed to perform to expectations. Rumors began to circulate before the 19th edition of the tournament about his potential replacement as captain.
However, Goenka refuted these speculations, praising Pant’s “character and commitment” before wishing him a “great season.”
“As the season approached, I read the speculations surrounding Rishabh Pant’s captaincy and smiled. We’ve spent enough time together to know his character and commitment. Have a great season, Captain!” Goenka wrote on X on Thursday.
A similar story emerged during IPL 2025, when Pant took control of the situation. An X user suggested that Pant might be dropped before the 2026 IPL season because LSG owners believe his price is unjustified. The LSG captain responded to this user, urging them to exercise some sensibility and credibility before spreading false narratives.
“I understand that fake news gives more traction to content, but let’s not build everything around it. A little sense and credible news will help more rather than creating fake news with an agenda. Thanks, have a good day. Let’s be responsible and sensible about what we put out on social media,” he had written on X.
Pant scored only 269 runs in the 13 matches he played last season, with an average of 24.45. His performance will be closely watched when LSG start their IPL 2026 campaign against the Delhi Capitals at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, their home ground, on April 1.