IPL 2025: Viewers have been wondering what happened to Rishabh Pant. The 27-year-old talent, who was bought at a whopping 27 crore, is not showing adequate performance with his bat. In addition, the Lucknow Super Giants team lost 2 out of 3 matches in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and are placed 6th in the points table.
Sanjiv Goenka’s decision under scrutiny
LSG owner made the headlines in IPL auction for 27-crore-buy, which now seems to be under criticism. The team’s second loss against PBKS with an 8-wicket crush and 4 overs left was a disastrous one.
Right after the match, Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of Lucknow Super Giants, came forward and had a chat with him. Now it has become a compulsion for the team to recover, so that they would at least finish in 4th place on the points table.
Many viral images circulating on the internet show Goenka involved in a serious discussion with the IPL’s costliest player, whom he bought. His discussion with Pant seemed to be lengthy after the match. However, this is not the first time with him, as the same kind of chat happened after their opening game. Even that match against the Delhi Capitals was a loss for LSG.
One of the major drawback becomes Pant’s leadership decisions, which are not enough for the team to withstand in its position. Franchise has a big regret of choosing Rishabh as their captain and spending a staggering sum of INR 27 crores on him.
Former Indian Cricketer Madan Lal expresses his view on this!
Madan Lal, a former Indian cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner, opened up on this matter and expressed his opinion. The visuals of the GOENKA-PANT chat is becoming viral on social media. On 1st April 2025, Lucknow Super Giants lost to Punjab Kings and following this the owner of LSG had a serious talk with captain Rishabh Pant.
“It is important to allow players to perform without emphasizing pressure on them,” Madan Lal pointed out to the behavior of Sanjiv Goenka.
Moreover, players afraid of Sanjiv Goenka’s serious on-field discussion have become a matter of attention. Last year, when the same happened with KL Rahul, fans were disappointed, and now it repeats with Pant, who is already under pressure.
On the other side, LSG players are getting injured, and the team doesn’t have enough strength. Hence, fans have been supporting Rishabh Pant, pointing out the entire team’s disastrous failure.
Adding to it, Madan Lal stated that “I am not aware of the conversation between Mr. Sanjiv Goenka and Rishabh Pant, but all this could have happened inside, but why in public? Let the players enjoy the game, and let them play freely by taking time to adapt. As we know, 20-20 cricket is unpredictable, so the players must not be kept under pressure.”
GOENKA-IYER Conversation: Netizens’ Funny comments
After LSG faced defeat against PBKS, Sanjiv Goenka first met Shreyas Iyer before he could start the discussion with Rishabh Pant. The Super Giants owner warmly hugged Shreyas and started having a lengthy conversation.
Fans were confused about this scenario because of what the LSG owner has to do with the PBKS captain. What could be the prolonged discussion, and was he trying to speak in general or trying to check his pulse so that he could acquire him in the next season?
Of course, Shreyas Iyer is a talented captain, whose leadership skills are proven with last year’s IPL, leading Kolkata Knight Riders to their third championship title. And, a team like Lucknow Super Giants that remains lower in the points table would certainly want to acquire a skilled captain like Iyer.
This engagement received various reactions from fans, as many of them started saying that “Goenka is tempting Iyer to join LSG”. And, reply comments to this stating “Yes! Earlier it was MSD, KL Rahul, and Now it is Rishabh Pant. And guess what? Next Shreyas Iyer loading…”
Also Read: Royal Challengers Bengaluru – IPL Stats | Key Moments
Is LSG becoming weaker?
In the current edition of the IPL 2025, the Lucknow Super Giants have weakened. Especially because of injuries to LSG players — Mayank Yadav, Akash Deep, and Shamar Joseph, the pressure seems to increase more on Rishabh Pant.
When it comes to fulfilling multiple roles as a wicketkeeper, batsman, and captain, Pant’s decision-making, timing, and batting skills are not up to the mark. And, any IPL franchise owner would certainly feel bad about the team’s weak structure.
One of the main reasons for Sanjiv Goenka’s criticism is about putting pressure on the team’s captain. Then KL Rahul and now Rishabh Pant, whatever might be the scenario, fans feel that pointing a finger towards the struggling captain in front of everyone is totally wrong.
