Rishabh Pant out from LSG will lead CSK in IPL 2027
Right after the final league match, LSG Director of Cricket Tom Moody dropped a clear hint that a major leadership shake-up is on the cards.
IPL 2027: The trusted period between Rishabh Pant and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has officially crashed into reality. Following a definitive seven-wicket defeat to the Punjab Kings on Saturday night, LSG closed out a miserable IPL 2026 campaign at the bottom of the points table—managing just 4 wins out of 14 games. Rishabh Pant out from LSG will lead CSK in IPL 2027.
The fallout was immediate. Right after the final league match, LSG Director of Cricket Tom Moody dropped a clear hint that a major leadership shake-up is on the cards. Tom Moody, LSG Director of Cricket” said that When it comes to the leadership of the franchise, it’s certainly something that we’ll be taking some very serious consideration to… it certainly looks like that we’re needing to consider a reset.”
Why Pant’s Captaincy is Under the Scanner:
When LSG broke the bank to secure Pant for a staggering ₹27 crore ahead of the 2025 season, franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka openly envisioned him in the same bracket as iconic leaders like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. Two years later, the gamble has yielded highly disappointing returns.
Across the 2025 and 2026 seasons, LSG managed just 10 wins in 28 matches under Pant’s captaincy. After a 7th-place finish last year, the team slid to 9th or 10th (depending on Mumbai Indians’ final net run rate) this season.
Leadership duties heavily weighed on Pant’s primary weapon: his explosive batting. Known for his career strike rate of 144.18, Pant managed only 581 runs across two seasons for LSG at a noticeably slower clip of 135.74. In IPL 2026, he finished with 312 runs at an average of 28.36, crossing the 50-run mark just once.
This franchise crisis unfolds during an already turbulent stretch for the wicketkeeper-batsman, who recently lost India’s Test vice-captaincy to KL Rahul and was excluded from the national ODI squad. Based on his performance metrics, Rishabh Pant has experienced a notable decline over the last two seasons compared to his historical peak between 2018 and 2019.
During his peak, he achieved a high of 684 runs in the 2018 season with blistering strike rates of 173.60 in 2018 and 162.66 in 2019, consistently keeping his team in playoff contention. In contrast, his stint during the LSG era (2025–2026) saw his peak season runs drop to just 312 in 2026, while his combined strike rate dipped to 135.74, culminating in a disappointing team record of 10 wins and 18 losses.
For his part, Pant cut a resilient figure in the post-match press conference, noting that the team “has to bite the bullet” and look toward bright spots like Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis. However, with the management publicly floating the word “reset,” Pant’s tenure as the absolute centrepiece of the LSG project looks increasingly tenuous ahead of the next cycle.
The Case for Pant Leading CSK in 2027 (The Looming Post-MS Dhoni Era):
While MS Dhoni has masterfully managed his workload, the franchise is actively planning for the long-term future behind the stumps. Ruturaj Gaikwad has done a commendable job steering the ship, but bringing in a marquee keeper-batter who can command a game from behind the stumps is right out of the classic CSK playbook.
CSK has historically tracked Pant’s career closely. Before LSG broke the bank with a staggering ₹27 crore bid in late 2024, CSK was heavily rumored to be interested in him. If LSG decides to release him back into the auction pool to free up their purse after his dip in form (averaging 28.36 with a 138.05 strike rate in IPL 2026), CSK management will almost certainly be monitoring the situation.
CSK is famous for taking elite players facing a dip in confidence and giving them the structural security to thrive again. Given Pant’s recent tough stretch—losing the India Test vice-captaincy to KL Rahul and being left out of the ODI squad—the relaxed, process-driven environment of Chennai could be exactly what he needs to unlock his peak explosive self.
Ultimately, it hinges on whether LSG completely cuts ties with Pant or simply asks him to step down as captain while remaining a pure batter. If he hits the open market, expect CSK to be right at the front of the queue.
