Relieve Rishabh Pant of captaincy, make Aiden Markram LSG skipper: Ex-India opener
Wasim Jaffer has urged Lucknow Super Giants to replace Rishabh Pant with Aiden Markram as captain after the loss to Kolkata Knight Riders. He argued that freeing Pant from leadership duties and resetting the batting order could help arrest LSG's slide.
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has advised the Lucknow Super Giants management to remove Rishabh Pant from the captaincy and hand it to Aiden Markram after their loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders. The defeat meant Lucknow has now lost six of the eight matches they have played this season.
Pant was brought in for Rs 27 crore to change the fortunes of the team. However, LSG have now lost eight matches on the trot at the Ekana Stadium, leaving their IPL 2026 campaign in trouble. With the fans growing restless, Jaffer said it would be the ideal time to give the reins to Markram, who captains the South Africa T20I side.
Jaffer also suggested a change in the batting order, saying LSG should open with Mitchell Marsh and Markram, followed by Nicholas Pooran at No. 3 and then Pant.
“LSG looks completely out of place right now; it’s hard even to know what to expect from them. If I were in that dugout, the first thing I would do is make Aiden Markram the captain. I would open with Markram and Mitchell Marsh. At number three, Nicholas Pooran, then Rishabh Pant at four, and Ayush Badoni at five. At number six, Abdul Samad, and at seven, Mukul Choudhary. That would be my top seven, and I would go with this batting order,” Jaffer said.
'LET PANT BE A NORMAL PLAYER'
Jaffer said Pant should be a normal player in the line-up without additional responsibilities attached to him.
“I feel a player like Rishabh Pant should play purely as a player. You get the best out of him when you free him up and tell him to just go out and play and win matches on his own. Don’t burden him with captaincy,” he said.
The former India opener also said he considers Markram mentally strong and composed under pressure, and believes he can get the best out of the players.
“I think Aiden Markram is a better captain. He has led South Africa very successfully; he is mentally strong, very composed, and I think he can get the best out of the other players. But this doesn’t look like something that will actually happen. This is just my suggestion, but if I were there, that’s what I would do,” Jaffer added.
Jaffer’s argument on Pant also comes with a batting reference point. Pant’s best IPL season came before he took on captaincy responsibilities. In the 2018 season, he scored 684 runs at a strike rate of approximately 174. This season, Pant has scored 189 runs in eight matches at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 126.84.
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Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has advised the Lucknow Super Giants management to remove Rishabh Pant from the captaincy and hand it to Aiden Markram after their loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders. The defeat meant Lucknow has now lost six of the eight matches they have played this season.
Pant was brought in for Rs 27 crore to change the fortunes of the team. However, LSG have now lost eight matches on the trot at the Ekana Stadium, leaving their IPL 2026 campaign in trouble. With the fans growing restless, Jaffer said it would be the ideal time to give the reins to Markram, who captains the South Africa T20I side.
Jaffer also suggested a change in the batting order, saying LSG should open with Mitchell Marsh and Markram, followed by Nicholas Pooran at No. 3 and then Pant.
“LSG looks completely out of place right now; it’s hard even to know what to expect from them. If I were in that dugout, the first thing I would do is make Aiden Markram the captain. I would open with Markram and Mitchell Marsh. At number three, Nicholas Pooran, then Rishabh Pant at four, and Ayush Badoni at five. At number six, Abdul Samad, and at seven, Mukul Choudhary. That would be my top seven, and I would go with this batting order,” Jaffer said.
'LET PANT BE A NORMAL PLAYER'
Jaffer said Pant should be a normal player in the line-up without additional responsibilities attached to him.
“I feel a player like Rishabh Pant should play purely as a player. You get the best out of him when you free him up and tell him to just go out and play and win matches on his own. Don’t burden him with captaincy,” he said.
The former India opener also said he considers Markram mentally strong and composed under pressure, and believes he can get the best out of the players.
“I think Aiden Markram is a better captain. He has led South Africa very successfully; he is mentally strong, very composed, and I think he can get the best out of the other players. But this doesn’t look like something that will actually happen. This is just my suggestion, but if I were there, that’s what I would do,” Jaffer added.
Jaffer’s argument on Pant also comes with a batting reference point. Pant’s best IPL season came before he took on captaincy responsibilities. In the 2018 season, he scored 684 runs at a strike rate of approximately 174. This season, Pant has scored 189 runs in eight matches at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 126.84.
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