3 min readMay 24, 2026 09:54 AM IST
Lucknow Super Giants concluded their IPL 2026 season on Saturday night with another dismal defeat, offering Punjab Kings a late shot at Playoffs qualification. The 10th defeat of the season meant Rishabh Pant’s side finished at the bottom of the standings, with the captain’s future at the franchise coming under the scanner.
In 28 matches since last season, Pant has overseen 18 defeats with Lucknow failing to make the Playoffs both times. The poor run of results has also coincided with Pant’s woeful form with the bat, aggregating only 312 runs at 28.36 this season.
Lucknow director of cricket Tom Moody admitted that the slew of poor results will mean that the franchise will consider a change of guard in leadership terms before next season.
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“From a captaincy point of view, you know, he’s found it challenging, obviously, and the results reflect that,” Moody said at the press conference after the loss to Punjab Kings. “And you do have to wonder whether that is a pressure that is reflected with his performance with the bat. I know that this season has been a difficult season for us, but we will reflect on it, we’ll take time, we’ll reflect on it. We’ll consider all things,” Moody told reporters after the defeat to Punjab.
“But certainly we haven’t lived up to the expectation or the standard that we expect of ourselves. And certainly when it comes to the leadership of the franchise, it’s certainly something that we’ll be taking some very serious consideration to, you know, what it looks like in the future. Like every department, when you do reflect on a season, we will be making some considered decisions, but it certainly looks like that we’re needing to consider a reset.”
Moody, however, conceded that the responsibility of the wooden spoon this was a result of a collective failure.
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“I think we’re all responsible [for the disappointing season],” Moody said. “I don’t think it’s a time to point the finger at any individual. I think we all take accountability, and now’s not the time to be apportioning blame in any particular department. We all need time to reflect on it in a calm manner, but there’s certain things that we do need to address, and will be addressed.”
Reflecting on a wretched season after the result, Pant said: “It’s a tough one, we have to bite the bullet, keep our head high. I think we scored enough, it’s harder in the second innings because the batting gets easier, that’s why everyone wants to field first. As a team we want to look at the positives, Josh Inglis, Mitch Marsh, Prince had a terrific season, Mohsin coming back from injury … Shami bhai. Definitely a lot of positives. It’s been a long season, we promise to come back stronger next year.
