Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka was spotted in conversation with newly-appointed captain Rishabh Pant following LSG’s dramatic collapse against Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2025 opener, reminiscent of a similar incident with former captain KL Rahul last season.
The Goenka-owned franchise, which secured Pant for a record-breaking ₹27 crore in the mega auction, suffered a heartbreaking defeat despite having DC on the ropes at 113 for six while defending a formidable total of 210 runs. Ashutosh Sharma’s brilliant unbeaten 66 off just 31 deliveries powered DC to an unlikely victory with one wicket and three balls to spare at Visakhapatnam.
Pant’s debut as LSG captain was disappointing on multiple fronts. He registered a six-ball duck, falling to Kuldeep Yadav in a match where five other batters achieved strike rates exceeding 200. His tactical decisions came under immediate scrutiny, particularly his handling of experienced all-rounder Shardul Thakur.
Despite Thakur claiming two crucial wickets in his first over, the medium pacer was inexplicably limited to just two overs throughout the innings. With 22 runs required from the final two overs, Pant opted for the inexperienced Prince Yadav over Thakur, a decision that backfired as Prince conceded 16 runs including two boundaries and a six.
In the decisive final over, with DC needing just six runs from six balls, Pant’s decision to hand the ball to left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed instead of the more experienced Thakur – who has previously won matches for India in similar pressure situations – further raised eyebrows among cricket analysts.
A critical stumping opportunity was also missed by Pant in the final over when Shahbaz beat Mohit Sharma with a well-flighted delivery, but the LSG captain failed to collect the ball after it deflected off the batter’s back pad.
“Definitely luck plays a part in this game and if it could have missed his pads, it was a chance for stumping. But these things happen in the game of cricket, you can’t focus on these things, but rather you need to play better cricket,” Pant acknowledged during the post-match presentation.
Following the defeat, television cameras captured Goenka in what appeared to be a serious conversation with Pant and head coach Justin Langer. While the exchange seemed less intense than his previous discussion with KL Rahul during IPL 2024, it served as an early reminder of the high expectations placed on Pant following his record acquisition.
Delhi Capitals’ chase had started disastrously at 7-3 in the second over, and the situation worsened when they lost half their side for just 65 runs. Former RCB captain Faf du Plessis, making his DC debut, contributed 29 runs before falling to Ravi Bishnoi.
DC captain Axar Patel provided momentary resistance with a quickfire 22, while Tristan Stubbs added a valuable 34 to the chase before Ashutosh Sharma’s match-winning heroics.
The defeat will give Pant and the LSG management plenty to ponder as they look to bounce back in their next fixture. With the spotlight firmly on their expensive captain, how Pant responds to this early setback could define LSG’s campaign in this season’s IPL.