The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 got underway on Sunday, May 31, but a captain has already decided that enough is enough. Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 between the Gujarat Titans and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rishabh Pant decided to step down as the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after the franchise finished at the bottom of the points table with just four wins in 14 matches. In an official statement, LSG said Pant himself offered to step down, and the franchise accepted his request.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has now reacted to Pant leaving his post just two years into the role at the LSG. Pant joined the Lucknow franchise before the IPL 2025 season for a record price of INR 27 crore. However, the last couple of seasons saw the franchise finishing in the bottom half of the points table. Moreover, Pant also failed to set the stage on fire with the bat.
The IPL 2026 season also saw cracks developing between Pant and the coaching staff at Lucknow. After one defeat, Pant also hinted at the presence of “too many” coaches within the setup and at the many voices impacting his judgment. It is worth noting that for the IPL 2026 season, Lucknow had Justin Langer, Tom Moody, Bharat Arun, Lance Klusener, and Kane Williamson as part of its support staff.
“Rishabh Pant stepping down as the captain of his team, which finished bottom of the table, is the first change in captaincy for the next season, as there could well be many more before the new season starts next year. He did say on more than one occasion that there were too many voices in his ear and too many thought processes, which is definitely not a compliment to the support staff. Whether that leads to a wholesale change at the franchise will be interesting to see,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“Talk is easy, and it is cheap too, and making big claims like some coaches have, may make good headlines, but cricket has a funny way of biting on the backside,” he added.
The Flower example
Gavaskar then urged the IPL coaches to follow Andy Flower’s template, the RCB’s head coach, who won the title for the second year in a row. The 1983 World Cup winner stated that there’s a case for the coaches being on the mellow side and letting the players get on with their business.
“Andy Flower, the coach of RCB, which has now won two back-to-back titles, is a fine example of someone who works quietly, with no big statements that make headlines. And no golfing and beer-drinking buddies as members of his support staff either,” Gavaskar wrote further.
“Maybe there’s a lesson there. If only those who appoint them could see that, then their teams would not be out of contention even before the first month of the tournament is over,” he added.
Speaking of the IPL 2026 season, the RCB won the title for the second year in a row after beating the Gujarat Titans in the summit clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
