These days, it’s becoming pretty normal to see Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of the Lucknow Super Giants, having long chats with his captain after a game, especially when things don’t go so well. Last season, things weren’t looking great for them either when KL Rahul, the former captain and opener, found himself in one of those chats after several matches, and now it’s Rishabh Pant’s turn to have those talks after some tough losses.
Rahul’s conversations with Goenka stirred up quite a buzz, and in the end, he was let go by the team after they finished in a disappointing seventh place, missing out on playoff contention for the first time since their debut in 2022. Flash forward to Tuesday night, when LSG suffered another significant loss against the Punjab Kings in their first home game of IPL 2025. Goenka was once again spotted having a very animated discussion with Pant, and pictures of their chat quickly circulated online.
Madan Lal, a former Indian cricketer who was part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, had a word of advice for Goenka. He suggested that instead of putting too much pressure on the players, it would be better to let them enjoy the game and express themselves freely, especially considering how unpredictable T20 cricket can be. He expressed his views on X (formerly Twitter), pointing out that we can’t really know for sure what was said in that conversation.
As for LSG, during that home match, they managed to pull it together after a rocky start and scored 171 runs for 7 wickets against PBKS at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as the Punjab team chased down the target within just 16.2 overs, winning by eight wickets.
Goenka’s investment in Pant was pretty eye-catching too, with the team shelling out a whopping Rs 27 crore to bring him on board during last year’s IPL Mega auction. But since joining from the Delhi Capitals, Pant hasn’t really got his form back. So far in the season, Pant’s LSG has only managed one win and two losses, with him racking up just 17 runs over three innings, including one game where he didn’t score at all. Right now, LSG is placed sixth in the IPL standings, and they’re set to face off against the Mumbai Indians this Friday.