Indian Premier League: Rishabh Pant appointed Lucknow Super Giants skipper
What's the story
Star India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will lead the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The move comes after KL Rahul, who led LSG to the playoffs in their first two seasons, was not retained by the franchise ahead of this year's mega auction. Here are further details.
Goenka
Goenka confirms Pant as LSG skipper
"The amount of strategising that was done revolved around Rishabh, it was done keeping him in mind," LSG's principal owner Sanjiv Goenka mentioned in while confirming Pant as the captain. "I think, time will prove that he is not only the most expensive player of IPL but also the best player of IPL," Goenka added.
Words
Pant's reaction to his new role
Upon being named the new LSG skipper, Pant was grateful and excited. "Amazing, overwhelmed by all the things sir said about me," he replied. He also said that he has had a lot of discussions with Goenka since being picked by LSG, and felt warmly welcomed into the franchise. Pant is hopeful about the upcoming season and looks forward to be successful.
Numbers
Pant's IPL stats
Pant has been a consistent performer in the IPL since his debut in 2016, playing for Delhi Capitals (DC). He has scored 3,284 runs in 110 matches at an average of 35.31, including one century and 18 half-centuries. As per ESPNcricinfo, Pant led Delhi in 43 IPL games, winning 23 and losing 19. One match ended in a tie.
Deal
Pant became IPL's most expensive player
Earlier, Pant made history by becoming the most expensive player in IPL's history. He was bought by LSG for a staggering ₹27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah. This record-breaking deal beat Shreyas Iyer's contract with Punjab Kings (PBKS) at ₹26.75 crore and Mitchell Starc's return to IPL after several years with a bid of ₹24.75 crore.
IPL 2024
Pant was DC's highest scorer in IPL 2024
Pant finished as DC's highest scorer in the IPL 2024 campaign. He amassed 446 runs from 13 matches at an average of 40.54. He struck at 155.40. Notably, for the fourth time in his IPL career, Pant scored 400-plus runs in a season. It's his third-best tally after 684 runs in 2018 and 488 runs in 2019. He managed 419 runs in 2021.