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Rishabh Pant Photograph: (X)
Rishabh Pant has been officially named captain of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The 27-year-old has replaced KL Rahul who led the side in the last three seasons. 32-year-old KL Rahul has moved to Delhi Capitals after severing ties with LSG at the end of last season.
Speaking to the media in a joint press conference with LSG owner Sanjiv in Kolkata, Pant said “I am overwhelmed with what the owner has said. Whenever I have talked to him, he has made me feel the same. End up feeling better with every conversation I have with Sanjiv. Such words takes your commitment from 100 to 200 per cent,”
LSG had spent a whopping INR 27 Crores on Pant to make him the costliest player in the league. Pant had gone past INR 26.75 Crores paid by Punjab Kings to obtain Shreyas Iyer who had left KKR after guiding them to their third title last year. Just like Pant, even Iyer was named the captain of his new side during the Bigg Boss 18 show few weeks ago.
Rishabh Pant speaks about his feelings during IPL Auctions 2025
During the press conference on Monday, Rishabh Pant said that he was nervous when his name came up for auctions. The 27-year-old said “I kept waiting for my name (to come up for auction). Then I started getting tense. I was watching with Rohit Sharma but then I stopped”
Newly appointed LSG skipper also added “I had mentally made up my mind to not watch after the bid crosses Rs 15 crore. This was my first experience since I started playing IPL. The first time it happened; I was playing U-19 cricket. I was excited, nervous”
Speaking about the challenges of leading in the IPL, Pant said “One aspect of my captaincy is to be very pro-active. It’s something that I have learned more in the past 1-2 years. It makes communication with players better. There are a lot of international players aligning the thought process with them is the biggest challenge. It’s a give-and-take.
“I like to play percentage cricket. Sanjiv sir also has the same thought process. You don’t have to win every match if you win 60-70 per cent of your matches, you are still there. Over-expectations shouldn’t ruin your season. If you focus on the process, results will take care of themselves. I am someone who wants the team to win – that fun, environment and joy it brings it’s not the same with individual performances,” Rishabh Pant added.