Former Indian players Manoj Tiwary and Rohan Gavaskar have urged Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to look beyond Rishabh Pant as captain after the team slumped to a sixth straight loss.
Rishabh Pant-led LSG lost to the Mumbai Indians by 6 wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. With just 2 wins in 9 matches, LSG have been practically eliminated from the tournament. Pant’s poor form with the bat is also a huge concern.
LSG lose six in a row
On Monday, May 4, LSG extended their losing streak in IPL 2026 to 6 matches in a row after they lost to a similarly struggling Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.
After MI skipper Suryakumar Yadav chose to field first, Mitchell Marsh decided to make the bowlers pay with a knock of 45 runs. Although Josh Inglis couldn’t make an impact on his comeback, Nicholas Pooran gained a promotion to No. 3 and displayed his usual hitting prowess.
Pooran has been woefully out of form in this year’s IPL but showed signs of getting back to his best by making 63 runs in just 21 balls. Despite this strong start, the middle order of Aiden Markram and Himmat Singh could not fully capitalise on the start, but LSG still managed 228.
Rohit Sharma returned from a long injury layoff and was immediately at his best. He and Ryan Rickelton made 84 and 83, respectively, to turn the chase into a comfortable walk in the park for Mumbai. Naman Dhir tied down the loose ends that were remaining after Rohit and Rickelton’s dismissals to hand MI only their third win of the season.
Also Read: LSG qualification scenario IPL 2026: Can LSG still reach playoffs after loss against MI?
“Rishabh Pant should be released from captaincy pressure” – Tiwary and Gavaskar
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Manoj Tiwary and Rohan Gavaskar echoed similar thoughts about relieving Rishabh Pant from the captain’s armband.
“Sanjiv Goenka had once said in an interview that he wants Pant to create a legacy, play for LSG for the next 10–15 years and win trophies. But sometimes you’ve got to put certain players out of the firing line. After this season, LSG must decide whether they want to keep him as captain. He should be allowed to focus only on his batting, because we all know his capabilities and talent.
“When the team performs badly, that pressure also falls on the skipper. So release him from that and allow him to play freely,” Gavaskar said.
Manoj Tiwary also said that he felt similarly. He said that the team’s poor performance had started affecting Rishabh Pant’s batting as well.
“I feel that, under the pressure of captaincy, we are losing Pant the batter — someone who has performed in international cricket and the IPL previously. He is not getting those runs this season. So release him from the captaincy burden and let him play purely as a batter. That would be best for LSG,” he added.
Rishabh Pant’s poor form in IPL 2026
This year, Rishabh Pant has made just 204 runs in 9 matches. His runs have come at an average of 25.50 at a strike rate of 128.30.
He has made only one fifty in the tournament, with a high score of 68*. Pant had originally joined LSG in 2025, but had not made an impact with the bat last year either.
LSG’s next match
LSG will take on RCB on May 7 in their next match. LSG have already lost to the defending champions once this season.
With LSG nearly eliminated, they only have an opportunity to play party-poopers as the defending champions will look to strengthen their playoffs push.
