Rishabh Pant likely to captain Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2025

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is poised to take over as the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to sources, the franchise chose Pant over Shreyas Iyer after KL Rahul was not retained ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.

KL Rahul, who led LSG to the playoffs in their first two IPL seasons, was a surprising omission from the franchise’s retained players list. With the captaincy role vacant, the franchise opted for Pant, citing his explosive batting ability and leadership experience as key factors.

Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history after LSG acquired him for a staggering ₹27 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction held in Jeddah. This shattered the previous record set just minutes earlier when Shreyas Iyer was bought by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹26.75 crore.

The auction saw fierce bidding for Pant, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) vying for him. Delhi Capitals (DC), Pant’s former team, attempted to use their ‘Right to Match’ card but were unable to match LSG’s record-breaking bid.

Having represented Delhi Capitals since his IPL debut in 2016, Pant amassed 3,284 runs in 110 matches at an average of 35.31, including a century and 18 half-centuries. Appointed captain of DC in 2021, Pant led the team to the playoffs in his first season as skipper.

Ahead of the 2025 auction, LSG retained five players:

• Nicholas Pooran
• Mayank Yadav
• Ravi Bishnoi
• Mohsin Khan (uncapped)
• Ayush Badoni (uncapped)

The franchise will look to build a competitive team around these retained stars and their marquee signing, Pant.

In IPL 2024, the Lucknow-based franchise struggled, finishing seventh in the standings with 14 points after winning seven of their 14 matches. The addition of Pant as captain aims to rejuvenate the team and improve their performance in the upcoming season.

Lucknow Super Giants Squad:

• Batters: Aiden Markram, David Miller, Ayush Badoni (retained), Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke.
• Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran (retained), Aryan Juyal.
• All-rounders: Abdul Samad (spin), Mitchell Marsh (pace), Shahbaz Ahmed (spin), Yuvraj Chaudhary (spin), Rajvardhan Hangargekar (pace), Arshin Kulkarni (Pace).
• Spinners: Ravi Bishnoi (retained), M Siddharth, Digvesh Singh.
• Fast bowlers: Mayank Yadav (retained), Mohsin Khan (retained), Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav.