Sanjiv Goenka, owner of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), dismissed rumours about Rishabh Pant’s captaincy following “fake reports” that suggested the wicketkeeper-batter was losing his leadership role at the franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, and wished the 28-year-old luck for the tournament. The LSG captain faced intense scrutiny for his subpar performances during IPL 2025. There were high hopes for the left-handed batter after he was bought for an impressive Rs 27 crore in last year’s mega auction, but he could not rise to the occasion. Ahead of the 19th edition of the tournament, rumours about replacing him as captain began to circulate.
However, Goenka debunked all such speculation and lauded Pant’s “character and commitment” before wishing him “a great season”.
“Heading into the season, I had read the speculations around @RishabhPant17’s captaincy and smiled. We’ve spent enough time together to know his character and commitment. Have a great season, Cap!” Goenka wrote in a post on X on Thursday.
Heading into the season, I had read the speculations around @RishabhPant17‘s captaincy and smiled. We’ve spent enough time together to know his character and commitment. Have a great season, Cap!@LucknowIPL #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/h1AXUK4kaw
— Dr. Sanjiv Goenka (@DrSanjivGoenka) March 26, 2026
A similar story surfaced during IPL 2025, when Pant took control of the situation. An X user suggested that Pant might be dropped before the 2026 IPL season because LSG owners believed his price was unjustified. The LSG skipper responded to the user, urging them to exercise sensibility and credibility before spreading false narratives.
“I understand fake news gives more traction to content, but let’s not build everything around it. A little sense and credible news will help more rather than making fake news with an agenda. Thanks, have a good day. Let’s be responsible and sensible about what we put out on social media,” he had written on X.
Pant scored only 269 runs in the 13 matches he played last season at a poor average of 24.45. His form will be closely monitored when LSG begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Delhi Capitals at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, their home ground, on April 1.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)