WATCH: Rishabh Pant criticizes Shreyas Iyer's PBKS after taking captaincy role of LSG

Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), declared Rishabh Pant as the team's captain on Monday, January 20, ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. At the major auction, Pant, the former captain of the Delhi Capitals (DC), who led the team in IPL 2024, was signed by LSG for a whopping amount of Rs 27 crore, making him the most expensive player in the T20 extravaganza's history. 

Following KL Rahul, Krunal Pandya, and Nicholas Pooran, Pant will be the fourth player to captain LSG. During the first three IPL seasons, Rahul captained LSG and guided the team to the playoffs in the first two years. Rishabh Pant told a funny yet poignant story during an ace Sports-hosted news conference announcing Pant as LSG's new captain. Pant said that his main concern during the auction was the potential for Punjab Kings to select him in an interview with Jatin Sapru and LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka.

"Mereko andar se ek hi tension tha, woh tha Punjab (laughs). They had the highest purse." He later stated that after getting Shreyas Iyer for Rs. 26.75 crores he got relaxed. "When Shreyas went to Punjab, I felt I could make it to LSG. But with the auction, you never know, so I just thought I would wait and watch, fingers crossed," Rishabh Pant said.

Watch the video here:

Rishabh Pant Literally Cooked Punjab Kings 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/w4F6pds9kd

— 𝐉𝐨𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞 (@jod_insane) January 20, 2025

Rishabh Pant's record in IPL

However, it was claimed that Goenka and former skipper Rahul had a falling out following the team's humbling ten-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2024 Match 57. Following the game, Rahul was seen publicly yelling at the LSG owner on the ground, and he was even reprimanded for his actions. 

Having led Delhi Delhi Capitals for three seasons, Pant brings a lot of experience to the table. While leading Delhi he advanced to Qualifier 2 and ended in first place in the IPL 2021 points table but couldn't proceed to the final as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the match. Pant will be expected to bring his best game as the team will try to win their maiden IPL title with the help of his sharp leadership and brave batting skills.