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Rishabh Pant arrives more than an hour late in LSG captaincy event, Sanjiv Goenka issues apology

Jan 21, 2025 01:55 PM IST

Rishabh Pant arrived more than one hour late for the LSG event in Kolkata. Owner Sanjiv Goenka apologised to everyone but did not share the details.

The stage was set for Rishabh Pant to take over as the new Lucknow Super Giants captain officially. The event in Kolkata, in the presence of LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka and former India fast bowler and current mentor of the team Zaheer Khan, was planned as a celebration of Pant's association with LSG. He was, after all, the most expensive buy in the history of the tournament. But things had to wait as Pant arrived more than an hour late from the scheduled time. It was not clear what caused the delay in the keeper-batter's arrival, but Sanjiv Goenka was quick to issue an apology at the beginning of the event.

Kolkata: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka with LSG captain for the IPL 2025 Rishabh Pant and mentor Zaheer Khan at an event, in Kolkata, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (PTI Photo)(PTI01_20_2025_000218A)(PTI)
Kolkata: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka with LSG captain for the IPL 2025 Rishabh Pant and mentor Zaheer Khan at an event, in Kolkata, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (PTI Photo)(PTI01_20_2025_000218A)(PTI)

Without wasting much time, Goenka presented the LSG jersey to Pant and announced him as their new captain. Pant then promised to give his 200 per cent for the franchise.

"I will give my 200 percent. That's my commitment to you. I will try whatever is there in my power to repay the faith. I am really excited and looking forward to new beginning and new energy. And have a blast out there with a lot of fun," Pant told mediapersons after being unveiled as the new skipper.

"We start with new hope and aspirations. And most importantly, new confidence. I wanted to introduce you all to our new captain Rishabh Pant," Goenka said.

This is Pant's second stint as a leader in the IPL.

Can costliest player Pant take LSG forward?

At his former franchise Delhi Capitals, the captaincy became a point of contention, leading the 27-year-old Pant to opt out of DC's retention plans after unsuccessful negotiations.

Pant beat Nicholas Pooran to secure the top job after Rahul didn't feature in the list of LSG's retained players. LSG had retained Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ayush Badoni before the auctions.

Right after the auction, Goenka made a cryptic remark that the franchise wanted to keep players who put the team first ahead of their personal goals and milestones, which was construed as a dig at Rahul, who often struggled to score at a brisk pace.

Asked about his new team going the distance in the IPL, Pant sounded optimistic.

"Definitely happy with the team. We have a mix of youth and experienced players. We have not been where we wanted to be... that's the journey of how we can take this franchise to newer heights.

Despite DC's interest in keeping him, they were not fully committed to him leading the side, prompting Pant to re-enter the auction.

At the auction, they pipped Sunrisers Hyderabad, LSG to get Pant for 20.75 crore, eventually they had to raise their price to 27 crore to outbid Delhi Capitals' right-to-match card.

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