Rishabh Pant Under Fire as LSG Slump to Bottom of IPL 2026 Table

LSG's purchase of Pant at the 2025 mega-auction had been one of the most discussed franchise transactions in IPL history. The expectation was that Pant would lead a top-four campaign and provide a left-handed centrepiece for the side's batting. Neither has materialised. By early May 2026, LSG sat bottom of the table with four points from nine matches.

Pant's personal form has been below his career baseline. His on-field decision-making — particularly bowling-change timing and field-setting in death overs — has been the subject of sustained criticism. Public commentary, including from former players, has urged him to step down from the captaincy and focus on his batting.

LSG's franchise leadership has stopped short of any formal change. The structural issue is that the side's problems are broader than the captaincy alone — the bowling has under-delivered, the senior batting has been inconsistent, and the team has lost three of its closest finishes — and any captaincy change would not by itself solve the underlying performance issues.