Having made a splash at the IPL auction by acquiring Rishabh Pant, the most expensive player in IPL history, Lucknow Super Giants are all set to unveil the India star wicketkeeper as their next captain on Monday. Without disclosing anything, owner of LSG Sanjiv Goenka has called for the “special” media interaction of the IPL franchise where the jersey unveiling is also expected. Pant, who was bought by LSG for Rs 27 crore, would mark his second stint as a leader in the IPL.
At his former franchise Delhi Capitals, the captaincy became a point of contention, leading Pant to opt out of DC’s retention plans after unsuccessful negotiations.
Despite DC’s interest in keeping him, they were not fully committed to him leading the side, prompting Pant to re-enter the auction.
India batter KL Rahul led LSG through their first three IPL seasons (2022-2024), taking the team to the playoffs in their first two campaigns, though they failed to reach the final in either year.
The 2024 season, however, was a setback, with LSG finishing seventh on the points table.
Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni, and Mohsin Khan were retained by the Goenka-owned franchise but they still were on the lookout for an Indian leader to succeed Rahul.
At the auction, they pipped Sunrisers Hyderabad, LSG to get Pant for Rs 20.75 crore, eventually they had to raise their price to Rs 27 crore to outbid Delhi Capitals’ right-to-match card.
Pant, who had been with DC since 2016, was appointed captain in 2021 and led the team until 2023 before a near-fatal car accident in December 2022 had ruled him out.
In the revamped LSG squad, Pant will be supported by key overseas players such as David Miller, Mitchell Marsh, and Aiden Markram, along with Indian seamers Akash Deep and Avesh Khan, among others.
Pooran, Marsh, Markram, and Miller were also considered potential captaincy candidates after the auction.
Pant will also have team mentor Zaheer Khan and head coach Justin Langer for company during IPL.
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