Sanjiv Goenka has 'no hesitation' in rating Rishabh Pant's captaincy after LSG's poor start in IPL 2025: 'He is yet to…'

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), led by Rishabh Pant, have had a mixed start to the IPL 2025 season. The side won against SunRisers Hyderabad but lost against Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. The franchise will next square off against Mumbai Indians and ahead of the upcoming fixture, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka has thrown a big challenge towards Pant, saying his best leadership is yet to come.

Pant, 27, has failed to get going with the bat, registering scores of 0, 15, and 2, aggregating 17 runs in three matches. After the loss against Punjab Kings, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen having an animated chat with Pant on the field.

The scenes instantly reminded fans of last year's visuals, in which Goenka chatted with former skipper KL Rahul after LSG was thrashed by SunRisers Hyderabad by ten wickets.

Ahead of the match against Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians, Sanjiv Goenka spoke about how much his franchise wanted Rishabh Pant on board for IPL 2025. For the uninitiated, the wicketkeeper-batter was picked up by LSG in the mega auction for INR 27 crore.

“The moment we knew he (Rishabh) was not being retained, we planned the team around him. I've said this before, and I have no hesitation in saying it again: I believe he's a great leader," Goenka told JioHotstar.

"His best leadership is yet to come. So, 27 is the number we got him at. If it had meant 28, that would have been the number," he added.

The LSG owner also revealed that the franchise wanted a captain who is fearless and willing to back his instincts. "We were very clear—we needed a leader who trusts and backs his instincts, who is fearless, who is destructive. And in Rishabh, we get all of that," said Goenka.

'LSG built around leader who has strong intent'

During the same interview with host broadcaster JioHotstar, Goenka said there is a major difference in the LSG setup this season as the team is built around a leader who always has a strong intent.

"Well, LSG is different. It's built around a leader with very strong intent. Every player in the team has intent, a fierce desire to win and is strongly motivated," said Goenka.

The Lucknow Super Giants are currently placed in the seventh place in the points table with 2 points from 3 matches. On the other hand, Mumbai Indians are in the sixth spot with the same number of points from three matches.