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Rishabh Pant Photograph: (X)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are set to appoint Indian wicketkeeper and batter Rishabh Pant as the new skipper ahead of the IPL 2025 season. According to reports carried by ESPN CRICINFO, Pant has been chosen over Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram for the leadership role. LSG purchased Pant for a whopping INR 27 crore, making him the costliest player in the league’s history.
Pant ended his stint with the Delhi Capitals at the end of the IPL 2024 season. The 27-year-old has led the Capitals and will be looking to lead his new side to title honours this season. KL Rahul was Lucknow’s skipper before quitting the franchise and moving to the Delhi Capitals ahead of the new season.
27-year-old has played 111 games in the league and scored 3284 runs with a best of 128. The left-handed batter has hit one century and 18 half-centuries with an average of 35 and a career strike rate of 148. As far as his wicketkeeping goes, Pant has pouched 75 catches along with 23 stumpings.
Sunil Gavaskar has his say on Sanju Samson being ignored from India’s squad
Sanju Samson was ignored by the selectors for the ODI series against England and Champions Trophy 2025. The 30-year-old is set to play for the national team in the upcoming five-match T20I series against England. The selection snub has caused a lot of controversy, with many questioning the BCCI.
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar felt that Samson was unlucky to miss out on the team. The 75-year-old said during his conversation with Sports Today, “Very tough because the man has been scoring hundreds and hundreds of runs. There is no excuse to leave him out. But he was pitted against Rishabh Pant, who we all know can be a game-changer. Plus, Pant is a left-hander and he is probably the better wicketkeeper, although he might not be the better batter than Samson.”
The former India star also added, “Pant can change the game perhaps a little more than Samson and that’s reason why Samson missed out. But Samson must not feel dejected because all Indian cricket lovers will have sympathy for him for what he has achieved.”