Rishabh Pant Warned Against Following MS Dhoni With LSG Captaincy At Stake

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) concluded their IPL 2026 campaign on an incredibly disappointing note, suffering another heavy defeat against the Punjab Kings in their final league match. This final blow pushed the franchise to the absolute bottom of the points table, sealing a season that fans and management alike would want to forget. The poor run has put a massive question mark over the leadership of the franchise, with Rishabh Pant Warned Against Following MS Dhoni With LSG Captaincy At Stake as cricket pundits dissect what went wrong for the star player and his team.

The season turned out to be nothing short of a nightmare for captain Rishabh Pant and his squad. Out of the 14 league matches played, LSG managed to secure victory in only four encounters, finishing the tournament with a meager eight points. Consequently, serious discussions have emerged regarding Pant’s future role as the captain of Lucknow Super Giants, with many believing a change is inevitable before the next cycle.

Rishabh Pant’s Captaincy Under Serious Scrutiny

Statistically, Rishabh Pant’s tenure as the leader of the Lucknow franchise has struggled to yield positive results. Over the last two seasons, Pant has captained Lucknow in 28 matches. Of those games, the team suffered defeats in 18 matches, highlighting a worrying trend of inconsistency. Furthermore, the franchise failed to qualify for the IPL Playoffs in both of these seasons, a stark contrast to their early years in the tournament when they were regular contenders in the knockout stages.

Compounding the team’s collective struggles, Pant’s individual batting form has also taken a severe hit. Throughout the IPL 2026 season, he managed to score only 312 runs at an underwhelming average of 28.36. For a player of Pant’s caliber and destructive capabilities, these numbers are far below expectations. The twin pressures of leading the side and anchoring the middle order seem to have severely impacted his free-flowing batting style.

Ambati Rayudu’s Big Advice To Rishabh Pant

In light of these struggles, former India batter Ambati Rayudu has offered some direct advice to the under-fire skipper. Rayudu believes that the best course of action for Rishabh Pant is to step away from the captaincy entirely and channel all his energy into his primary skills: batting and wicketkeeping.

According to Rayudu, Pant’s leadership approach heavily mirrors the instinct-based captaincy style of former India captain MS Dhoni. However, Rayudu points out that while this style worked wonders for Dhoni, it has failed to yield dividends for Pant at LSG, potentially due to a mismatch with the team’s coaching setup.

Analyzing the situation, Rayudu stated: “His (Pant’s) idol has always been MS Dhoni. We have seen him talk about him, and MS Dhoni’s captaincy is very, very similar. He is very instinctive, so he might be following that path, which the coaching staff might not be compatible with.”

Rayudu further elaborated on the impulsive nature of Pant’s decision-making on the field, adding: “So, there are so many things; unless and until we hear from Pant as to what his captaincy style is, we can only assume what he’s going through or what he’s thinking. But from the looks of it, he is very, very instinctive and impulsive sometimes. I think the best thing he can do is play as a player.”

Why the MS Dhoni Captaincy Model Did Not Help Rishabh Pant

MS Dhoni has built an iconic legacy in the IPL on the back of his calm, composed, and highly instinctive leadership style. This unique approach guided the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to multiple championship titles over the years. However, attempting to replicate this highly individualized method has not worked for Rishabh Pant.

Interestingly, history shows that even MS Dhoni’s instinctive style was not universally successful across all franchises. During his stint with the Rising Pune Supergiants, Dhoni’s approach did not bring the desired results for the owners. In 2017, franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka made the bold decision to remove Dhoni from the captaincy, appointing Australian batsman Steve Smith as the skipper instead. Given that Sanjiv Goenka also owns the Lucknow Super Giants, the historical parallel is striking, leading many to believe that Pant should step down to focus solely on his game as a specialist player.

Tactical Criticisms and the Pressure of a Record Price Tag

Rishabh Pant’s on-field tactical decisions faced heavy criticism from experts and analysts throughout the IPL 2026 season. Observers pointed to several recurring issues that plagued LSG’s campaign:

• Poor Field Placements: Critical gaps were often left open, allowing opposition batsmen to rotate strike or find boundaries easily during crucial phases of the game.
• Confusing Death Overs Bowling Plans: The management and execution of bowling changes during the final overs of the innings frequently backfired, leading to expensive spells.
• Questionable Review Decisions: Review calls under the Decision Review System (DRS) were often wasted or poorly judged, leaving the team vulnerable later in the innings.
• Impact Player Substitutions: The timing and choice of the Impact Player substitutions became a major talking point, with decisions failing to provide the tactical advantages expected.

Beyond tactical errors, the immense pressure of being the most expensive player in IPL history may have weighed heavily on Pant. LSG acquired his services for a record-breaking Rs 27 crore ahead of the 2025 mega auction. This astronomical price tag naturally created massive expectations from the franchise management, sponsors, and fans. The combined weight of this valuation and the captaincy duties appeared to affect Pant mentally, preventing him from playing his natural, aggressive brand of cricket.

LSG Management Set for a Leadership Review

The disappointment of the IPL 2026 season has prompted the LSG management to reassess their strategy moving forward. Following the conclusion of their final league game, LSG Director of Cricket Tom Moody openly admitted that the franchise would thoroughly evaluate the captaincy situation before the next season begins.

Moody stated: “When it comes to the leadership of the franchise, that is something we will be giving very serious consideration to in terms of what it looks like in the future.” This statement strongly indicates that changes are on the horizon for the Lucknow-based franchise.

Conclusion: Returning to the Basics

Rishabh Pant remains one of India’s most naturally gifted and destructive cricketers. His ability to turn matches around single-handedly with his explosive batting has been proven on the international stage. However, the burden of leadership at Lucknow Super Giants seems to be detrimental to his primary skill set.

At this juncture in his career, stepping away from the captaincy duties could be the best decision for Pant. Relieving himself of tactical responsibilities would allow him to play with the freedom and flair that made him a global cricketing superstar, while simultaneously helping him rediscover his form with the bat and gloves.