Stepping down as Lucknow Super Giants skipper might quiet the noise about Rishabh Pant leading, yet it clears nothing about where he stands with the team long term. Though LSG appears ready to reshape its core, insiders suggest Pant’s spot on the roster isn’t guaranteed when planning begins for the upcoming IPL campaign.

A price tag of 27 crore once made him the costliest name in IPL auctions, grabbed by LSG in 2025. Still, following two quiet years with low scores and shaky leadership, questions are rising about his true value to the team.

LSG is weighing Rishabh Pant’s release ahead of the next auction

Word has it the Lucknow team might actually let Pant go. They’re thinking hard about it because it earns so much money that it could be used elsewhere. His pay takes up a big chunk of their budget now. What he’s done in matches lately just hasn’t matched what they’re paying him these past couple of years.

It hasn’t been settled yet, but people close to the group are starting to think another option might bring more worth. Instead of keeping things as they are, one idea on the table involves setting Pant free, then trying to bring him back through bidding at a reduced cost.

Tom Moody brings years from the field into how things run now. Inside the room, Justin Langer’s voice often guides long-term choices. Kane Williamson, once a captain himself, adds quiet weight behind decisions. Together, their pasts shape what comes next, though no one says it outright. Direction grows slowly, fed by old matches and harder lessons.

Rishabh Pant’s time at LSG hasn’t gone smoothly on paper. 28 games in, just 581 runs sit beside his name, which comes out to around 26 each time he gets out, moving at a pace near 136 every hundred balls.

Leading the side? Not much brighter there either. Out of those same 28 fixtures, victory arrived only ten times, leaving more losses than celebrations behind. Roughly one in three tries ended well.

Bottom of the pile in 2026, Lucknow managed only four wins across fourteen matches. Tough times hit hard that year.
Pant wanted out of the captain’s seat. The team said yes when he asked to leave it behind.

“Rishabh approached the franchise with this request, and we have respectfully accepted it. These decisions are never easy.

We are grateful for everything Rishabh has brought to this dressing room as captain. Our focus now is on the collective – rebuilding and restructuring to reach the best standards,” LSG director of cricket Tom Moody said.

Nicholas Pooran is likely to retain management’s backing

Even though the team might get rebuilt following their bottom position, Nicholas Pooran seems set to stay on even if his season fell short. The shake-up probably won’t include him, regardless of how things went personally.

This season, Pooran managed only 234 runs after being kept for 21 crore rupees, a figure now sparking doubt over his value.

Besides Pant’s 27-crore deal, their cost makes up close to 40 per cent of the team’s total auction spending.

Still, Pooran might ride the momentum from his strong 2025 run – hitting 524 runs and standing out while Pant faces steeper hurdles. Yet good vibes linger where performance shines bright.

Word has it the bosses still trust the player from the Caribbean, even after a shaky run recently. Backing him again next year seems probable; faith hasn’t faded. His rough patch hasn’t shaken their stance one bit.