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
In the meantime, PBKS maintained their winning streak by winning consecutive games to maintain their second-place standing in the standings. However, with 149 runs in two innings, Shreyas Iyer, who was also purchased for a substantial sum of INR 26.75 crore, has so far lived up to his price tag.
Goenka gave Iyer a big hug and spoke with him for a while after the loss. Fans’ reactions to this meeting were divided, with many making jokes about Goenka maybe trying to lure Iyer to LSG. Cameras captured the moments when Goenka pointed his finger at the struggling captain as the LSG owner addressed Pant.
Goenka has already publicly questioned the captain of his squad. Many people think that Rahul’s decision to leave the franchise was influenced by a similar altercation he had with him in the past. In the meantime, Pant is already under criticism due to his inability to bat and his dubious captaincy choices. The pressure is mounting on Pant to make a swift turnaround because LSG’s bowling attack has also been reduced by injuries to players like Mayank Yadav, Akash Deep, and Shamar Joseph.
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