Sanjiv Goenka rejected Rishabh Pant’s resignation as LSG captain, but a twist fo

The Shocking Backstory Behind Rishabh Pant‘s LSG Resignation

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise has found itself in the middle of a massive storm following a disappointing tenth-place finish on the IPL 2026 points table. On Friday, star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant officially stepped down from his role as the captain of the team. However, the official announcement was merely the tip of the iceberg. Behind closed doors, a dramatic series of events had been unfolding for weeks within the LSG camp.

According to emerging reports, the resignation tendered at the end of the season was not the first time Rishabh Pant had attempted to walk away from his captaincy duties. The franchise’s high-stakes environment and a string of poor performances had reportedly pushed the skipper to his limits much earlier in the tournament. In an unexpected turn of events, Sanjiv Goenka rejected Rishabh Pant’s resignation as LSG captain, but a twist fo—or rather, a series of twists—followed before the final decision was reached.

The Timeline of the Mid-Season Captaincy Drama

The details of these tense discussions were recently brought to light by prominent journalist Nikhil Naz of India Today. In a video that has quickly gone viral on social media platforms, Naz outlined the timeline of how Rishabh Pant repeatedly expressed his desire to step down as the leader of the side.

According to Naz, Pant first approached the franchise management and owner Sanjiv Goenka when there were still four to five games remaining in the league stage of the tournament. The team was already struggling to find form, and the pressure on the captain was mounting. Pant candidly expressed that he no longer wished to lead the side. However, Goenka was reluctant to accept a sudden mid-season resignation, believing that a hasty decision would only plunge the team into further chaos.

“When they had 4-5 games to go in the IPL season, Rishabh Pant spoke to the LSG team management and the owners and said that he doesn’t want to continue as captain. However, at that time, Sanjiv Goenka wasn’t keen about Pant taking a hurried decision,” Naz explained.

Goenka tried to reassure the star player, urging him not to make panic-driven choices during a difficult phase. He advised Pant to focus on the remaining matches and keep a cool head, emphasizing that bad seasons are part and parcel of professional cricket.

Despite the owner’s attempts to assuage his concerns, Pant’s mind was made up. After playing a few more matches, the captain returned to the management with the same request, stating firmly that he had made up his mind to step down. Once again, Goenka tried to intervene, assuring Pant that the franchise saw him as their long-term leader. But the cycle repeated itself.

Naz continued, “Once again, the owner tried to convince him to stay and said, ‘We see you as the captain, so please continue.’ But, once again, Pant came to the owners to quit.”

Eventually, towards the very end of the season, Pant consulted with the coaching staff and reiterated his firm stance. Seeing that his decision was final and well-considered, the owners finally relented and accepted his resignation.

Inside LSG’s Disastrous IPL 2026 Campaign

The leadership crisis was heavily tied to the franchise’s dismal run on the field. After finishing in seventh place in IPL 2025, the Lucknow-based franchise hoped to mount a strong comeback in 2026. Initially, things seemed to go as planned. LSG started their campaign on a positive note, securing victories in two of their opening three matches. However, the momentum quickly evaporated during the crucial middle phase of the tournament.

A disastrous slump saw LSG lose six matches in a row, a streak that effectively ended their chances of qualifying for the playoffs. Although they managed to claim two consolation wins in their final five games, the damage was already done. LSG became the first team to be officially eliminated from the playoff race in IPL 2026, eventually finishing dead last at the bottom of the table.

This failure marked a frustrating milestone for the franchise. Since their inception in 2022, LSG had enjoyed an impressive start, reaching the playoffs in both 2022 and 2023. However, their recent performance dip has resulted in three consecutive seasons without playoff cricket (2024, 2025, and 2026), raising serious concerns about the team’s long-term direction.

The Weight of the 27 Crore Price Tag

Rishabh Pant’s struggles were not limited to his captaincy decisions; his individual performance with the bat also drew immense criticism. Pant had joined LSG ahead of the IPL 2025 season for a staggering fee of Rs 27 crore per year, making him the most expensive signing in the history of the Indian Premier League. With such an astronomical price tag came massive expectations, which Pant struggled to meet over his two seasons with the franchise.

In IPL 2025, Pant scored 269 runs across 14 matches. Despite recording one century and one half-century, he finished the season with a disappointing average of 24 and a strike rate of 133. The subsequent 2026 season saw a marginal improvement in his statistics, but it was far from the explosive performances fans and management expected. Pant concluded the 2026 campaign with 312 runs in 14 matches, averaging 28 with a strike rate of 136, including a single half-century.

Cumulatively, across his two seasons with LSG, Pant scored 581 runs in 28 matches at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 136. When compared to other elite leaders in the tournament, the numbers paint a stark picture. Among the seven specialist batters who captained their respective teams full-time in both the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Rishabh Pant recorded the lowest batting average and the second-lowest strike rate, highlighting his struggles to balance leadership with individual batting form.

Franchise Overhaul and Key Retentions

While Rishabh Pant’s departure from the captaincy marks a massive shift in the team’s leadership structure, the franchise is not planning a complete overhaul of its coaching staff. Despite the poor results, head coach Justin Langer and mentor Nicholas Pooran are set to survive the post-season review. The management seems determined to maintain some level of stability as they begin the difficult process of rebuilding the squad and searching for a new captain ahead of the next IPL cycle.