New Delhi: The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was disappointing for the Lucknow Super Giants. Under the captaincy of star Indian batter Rishabh Pant in his second year, the franchise became the first team eliminated from the tournament, finishing at the bottom of the standings.
Over 14 matches, the team secured only four victories, losing the remaining ten, which placed them with eight points and a net run rate of -0.74 at the conclusion of the group stage. Throughout the season, Lucknow struggled to establish a consistent squad composition, frequently altering their opening combination with different players.
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin commented on the team’s selection decisions, particularly regarding Ayush Badoni, who was omitted from multiple matches despite Nicholas Pooran’s underwhelming performance. Ashwin noted, “Nicholas Pooran could not lay bat on ball the entire season, yet they backed Nicholas Pooran time and again. Ayush Badoni got an India call-up yet sat out several matches for LSG. They had to give him a long run. Then you sit Mukesh Choudhary after calling him the next best finisher and play Himmat Singh,” he stated in a video on his YouTube channel.
In the wake of their struggles, Lucknow Super Giants have announced that Rishabh Pant will step down from the captaincy for the upcoming season. The team possesses potential leadership options in Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram, both of whom have prior captaincy experience. It remains to be seen whether LSG will select one of these established leaders or pursue a new captain in the upcoming mini auction ahead of IPL 2027. Under Pant’s captaincy, the franchise has not reached the playoffs in either of the past two seasons, and they will aim for substantial improvement in the next tournament.
