Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been appointed captain of Indian Premier League side Lucknow Super Giants, the franchise confirmed on Monday ahead of the new season, scheduled to start on March 21. LSG needed a captain after it decided to release K.L. Rahul ahead of the November 2024 mega auction.
Pant was signed by LSG for a record-breaking sum of Rs 27 crore at the IPL mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last year. Pant will work with head coach Justin Langer. Ahead of the auction, LSG retained five players: Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni and Mohsin Khan.
Pant had been released by Delhi Capitals ahead of the auction. He had been part of the Capitals’ set-up since 2016 and was made captain ahead of the 2021 season, in place of the injured Shreyas Iyer. Pant was retained as captain for IPL 2022.
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Pant made a comeback in IPL 2024 after recovering from severe injuries sustained in a life-threatening car accident in December 2022. Upon his return, he was reinstated as captain of Delhi Capitals and scored 446 runs in what turned out to be another average season for the team.
Pant had not played a T20I since his car accident in December 2022, but a strong performance in IPL 2024 earned him a spot in last year’s T20 World Cup, which India won.
The 27-year-old has scored 3,284 runs in 111 matches in the IPL.
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