New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants’ Director of Cricket Tom Moody said Rishabh Pant’s decision to step down as the side’s captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has come after he recognised that it’s time to move on from captaincy for now and focus as a player after two difficult seasons.

Pant, 28, was bought for Rs 27 crore by LSG at the mega auction held in 2024, making him the most expensive purchase in IPL history. But under him, LSG had a disappointing time, getting 10 wins and 18 losses in two seasons, where they finished seventh and tenth, respectively.

Pant himself didn’t set the stage alight with the bat, as seen from his modest returns of 269 runs in 2025 and 312 in 2026. “At the end of the day, Rishabh has recognised that it’s time to move on from captaincy for now and focus as a player.

“The last couple of years have been difficult for him. He hasn’t reached the heights he would’ve expected for himself. It’s the right decision – certainly the right decision for him, it’s the right decision for the franchise. Let’s hope this is the corner he turns that enables him to play the brand of cricket we recognise alongside him.

“I made the statement at the end of our last game that we needed to consider a leadership reset. And I think everyone knew that. In the last three years for the franchise, they’ve come seventh, seventh, and tenth. So we need to look at things,” said Moody on ESPNCricinfo.

Moody did not specify when a new LSG captain would be named, though senior overseas players Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran are likely contenders for the top role. Markram himself leads LSG’s sister franchise in SA20 and is expected to lead their side in this year’s The Hundred in England.

On Pant’s future at LSG, Moody said it was too early to decide. “We as a franchise recognise that the tournament’s not even finished yet. It’s going to take a long time for us to debrief and review the whole squad. (We need to see) What are we looking to do, what brand of cricket are we wanting to play, and who’s going to be playing those roles moving forward?”

–IANS

nr/bsk/