‘It’s been a tough season’: Rishabh Pant’s emotional video goes viral amid uncertainty over LSG captaincy

Rishabh Pant (Pic credit: IPL) NEW DELHI: An emotional video of Rishabh Pant thanking fans after Lucknow Super Giants’ disastrous IPL 2026 campaign has gone viral on social media amid growing speculation about a change in the franchise’s leadership.After another disappointing season, Lucknow Super Giants are reportedly considering a major reset after finishing last in the 10-team standings. LSG have won just four of their 14 league games this season, extending a worrying slump after finishing seventh in IPL 2025. Pant’s emotional post-campaign speech to supporters quickly became the talk of the internet, with many fans interpreting it as a sign of the immense pressure surrounding the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman.“Thank you so much. You know, it’s been a tough season. It’s been a lot of hard work… Thanks for coming no matter what,” Pant said in the viral clip. “We will do well as a team. Let’s stick together… thanks for so much trust.”WATCH:After another poor season, doubts about the leadership are growingThe viral moment came just days after LSG’s director of cricket Tom Moody openly admitted that Pant struggled with the pressures of captaincy during the campaign.“Obviously he finds it challenging from a captain’s point of view and the results reflect that,” Moody said after LSG’s seven-wicket loss to Punjab Kings in their last league match.“And you have to wonder if that pressure is reflected in his performance with the bat.Under Pant’s leadership, LSG managed just 10 wins in 28 matches over two IPL seasons. The franchise’s struggles have intensified their scrutiny of the wicketkeeper, especially after he was bought for a record Rs 27 crore.The decline of the bat of the pants adds to the concernPant’s troubles were not limited to the captain. Once regarded as one of India’s most devastating T20 batters, he has failed to consistently reproduce his earlier IPL brilliance since joining LSG.The left-hander produced sensational seasons in 2018 and 2019, scoring 684 and 488 runs respectively at a strike rate of over 160. However, in the last two seasons with LSG, Pant managed just 581 runs at a strike rate of 135.74 – well below his career IPL strike tally.A difficult IPL campaign also coincided with setbacks in international cricket. Pant recently lost India’s Test vice-captaincy to KL Rahul and was dropped from the ODI squad.Moody indicated that major decisions could now follow within the franchise.“We didn’t live up to the expectations or the standard that we expect of ourselves,” Moody admitted.“As far as running the franchise, it’s certainly something we’re going to take very seriously.”