2 min readApr 9, 2026 12:47 AM IST
Rishabh Pant’s captaincy has earned praise from Lucknow Super Giants’ spin-bowling coach Carl Crowe. LSG face the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday having won their last match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad to bounce back from the defeat they suffered before that to the Delhi Capitals. Crowe said that Pant empowers his bowlers as a captain.
“I would say he definitely empowers his bowlers. He is very keen to hear their views in team meetings and is interested in understanding their perspectives and plans. Personally, I’ve really warmed to him,” he told reporters on the eve of the match against KKR.
“One thing he does really nicely — it may seem small — is that when he enters the room as captain, he says ‘hello’ to every single person and shakes their hand. As a leader, that makes you feel welcome and that you belong, and I really like that about him.”
Crowe said that Pant tries to guide bowlers as much as he can but he also leans on the more experienced members in his team. LSG boast the likes of South Africa captain Aiden Markram, Australia captain Mitchell Marsh and former West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran in their lineup.
“He’s definitely an empowering, players-first type of captain from what I’ve observed so far. Of course, he still guides and offers suggestions when needed. As a keeper, it can be difficult at times when you’re 30 yards back to run up to the bowler and give advice, but he has experienced players like Aiden (Markram) and (Nicholas) Pooran around him to help with that.
“I’ve been really impressed with Rishabh. He genuinely wants the team to do well. The other day I heard him say, ‘What else can I do for the team?’ When your leader thinks like that, the players naturally follow,” he added.
