Rishabh Pant under pressure, LSG captain's leadership credentials questioned: ‘He will have to do the heavy lifting’

Rishabh Pant had a poor season as LSG skipper in 2025, and the pressure is on to pull up his socks and take control of the team this season.

Lakshmipathy Balaji expects Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant will need to step up his game if he intends to take the LSG team deep in the tournament, stating that the southpaw batter will need to be ready for heavy responsibility as the star Indian name in the team.

Lucknow Super Giants' captain Rishabh Pant reacts after their loss in the IPL 2025 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (AP)

LSG finished the IPL 2025 season in seventh, but were a dangerous and threatening team throughout thanks to the power they held at the top of the batting. The same couldn’t quite be said for captain Pant – he came in with 269 runs in the full season, and extremely disappointing number after he became the most expensive player in IPL history last year, with 118 of those coming in one innings at the end of the tournament.

While the top three for LSG is arguably the best in the tournament, it is the remainder of the batting and bowling which will need to step up – but with no bonafide stars in the middle and lower order, it will come down to Pant, according to Balaji.

“The concerns were the bowling, the captaincy, and the tactical side of the leadership group. They definitely depend heavily on their overseas trio of batters,” he pointed out. Pant did receive plenty of question marks over his captaincy credentials, as he struggled to leave much of a mark as he finds his footing as a leader.

What should LSG's combination be?

The big concern for LSG will be that exposed middle order, particularly after losing the experience of David Miller: suddenly, Pant is the senior figure in that group.

“You have the likes of Badoni, Abdul Samad, and Shahbaz Ahmed, all of whom can chip in. But the top order and Rishabh Pant will have to do the heavy lifting,” said Balaji.

Lower down the order, the former fast bowler expected the three overseas batters to necessitate the use of an overseas bowling star. With Wanindu Hasaranga in the team, it is a question that the LSG think-tank must ponder, regarding whether an all-Indian unit led by Mohammed Shami would succeed. But there are options at their disposal.

“On the overseas combination, normally I would pick three batters, so the first-choice players, Marsh, Markram, and Pooran, walk in. Then, you need to strengthen the bowling attack with one overseas fast bowler, as we are still unsure whether Hasaranga will be fully fit or not. If not, Anrich Nortje would be my choice as the fourth overseas player," concluded the IPL great.