With Rishabh Pant being officially announced as the Lucknow Super Giants’ skipper ahead of the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League, the franchise owner, Sanjiv Goenka, has set massive expectations from the captain as the side looks to make a fresh start.
The expectations were already set to a high standard when the franchise decided to break the bank and go for a record bid of Rs 27 crore to secure the services of the wicketkeeper-batter. Goenka explained that they were dead-set on bringing in the all-format start to their side.
“We had kept a budget of Rs 27 crore for Rishabh Pant. We were adamant about getting him (during the IPL auction),” Sanjiv Goenka revealed.
Goenka sees big things from his new skipper, as he expects the 27-year-old to become the greatest player in the tournament’s history and praises his relaxed but passionate approach in terms of leadership.
“Rishabh Pant isn’t just going to be the best player of LSG but of IPL itself. Never seen someone with so much passion. He’s the boy next door; his connection with the players, teams, and thought process is different. Conventional thought processes lack uniqueness,” Goenka shared.
“I see him as a leader. He will probably be the best captain IPL has seen,” he added.
The LSG owner also highlighted how it was needed for the franchise to create a platform with mutual trust and learn to take lessons from their wins and losses.
“Rishabh Pant knows a few players, doesn’t know others. We have to create a platform where there’s mutual trust. End of the day, you want to win. You won’t win every game—losing and winning are part and parcel. You learn to take defeat with victory,” Goenka said.
