IPL franchise trolled by Rishabh Pant congratulates him after appointment as Lucknow Super Giants captain
Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant was announced as captain of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Following his appointment, another franchise congratulated him after the wicket-keeper batter had trolled them during the announcement.
LSG franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka made the announcement on Monday, January 20, in the presence of Rishabh Pant on Star Sports. In the special chat, Pant took a dig at the Punjab Kings, stating that he was afraid that Punjab would sign him.
"Mereko andar se ek hi tension tha, woh tha Punjab (I had only one tension from within and that was Punjab). Second highest (purse) was 82 crore. Punjab had 112 crore. When iyer" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Shreyas (Iyer) went there, then I thought I could go to LSG. I thought there might be a possibility," Pant said while speaking on the chat on Star Sports.
As Punjab had already spent a massive amount (₹26.75 crore) on Shreyas Iyer, they did not go after Rishabh Pant. Pant was sold to the Lucknow Super Giants in a record-breaking deal of ₹27 crore.
However, despite being trolled by Pant, Punjab Kings took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate him following his appointment as LSG captain.
"Fearless young blood, ready to roar! 🔥Congratulations, Rishabh, on being appointed skipper of Lucknow Super Giants! 💪 Wishing you all the best! 👏🫶🏻#RishabhPant #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #JazbaHaiPunjabi," the franchise tweeted.
Rishabh Pant's LSG challenge going into IPL 2025
After being sold for a record-breaking price and becoming the costliest player in IPL history, expectations from Rishabh Pant will be high as he begins his journey with the Lucknow Super Giants.
Further, his appointment as captain only doubles the pressure as he will now also have to lead the side successfully apart from delivering as a player. LSG finished seventh after the group stage in the 2024 season, thus failing to make the top four.
While they made the playoffs in their first two seasons, they could not convert the chances and go the distance. As they are yet to win an IPL title, Rishabh Pant will be challenged to lead them to the elusive trophy.
However, walking into a new franchise and leading them straight away will certainly be a challenging task for Pant, who is still young in terms of captaincy experience. So far, he has captained in only 43 IPL matches, managing to win 23 of them.