Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), has drawn notice once more for his animated on-field exchanges with the team captains. After LSG lost to Punjab Kings (PBKS) by eight wickets at the Ekana Stadium, Goenka was observed having a drawn-out and heated discussion with captain Rishabh Pant.
Many compared the episode to a similar conversation Sanjiv Goenka had with KL Rahul, the captain at the time.
With only one victory in three games, the team has made a rough start to its Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign. Their loss has been mostly attributed to Pant’s form and inexperienced bowling attack, even though they have a formidable, all-star roster. The wicketkeeper-batter became the most expensive player in IPL history after the team spent INR 27 crore on him. But with just 17 runs in three innings, Pant has found it difficult to live up to his price tag.
Check the post below:
Scene created between Goenka & Pant. 🧐#PBKSvsLSG pic.twitter.com/oU9AS4kbN5
— Kunal Yadav (@Kunal_KLR) April 1, 2025
Back-to-back victories allowed PBKS to maintain their dominant streak and maintain their second-place standing in the standings. In contrast, Shreyas Iyer, who was also purchased for a substantial sum of INR 26.75 crore, has so far scored 149 runs in two innings to justify his high asking price.
Goenka greeted Iyer with a big hug and a lengthy chat after the loss. Fans had differing opinions on this encounter; several made jokes about Goenka perhaps luring Iyer to LSG. The cameras captured Goenka pointing his finger at the struggling captain as the LSG owner addressed Pant.
In the past, Goenka has publicly questioned the captain of his squad. A similar altercation between him and Rahul in the past is thought to have played a role in Rahul’s decision to leave the team. Pant is already under criticism because of his inability to bat and his dubious captaincy choices. Pant is under more pressure to make a speedy turnaround because LSG’s bowling attack is also weakened as a result of injuries to players like Mayank Yadav, Akash Deep, and Shamar Joseph.
India
