Mumbai, Jan 21: Dynamic keeper-batter Rishabh Pant was on Monday named the captain of Lucknow Super Giants for the upcoming IPL and he vowed to give his “200 percent” to win the team’s maiden title.Pant was picked at the mega auction for an IPL record Rs 27 crore by the franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka.
“I will give my 200 percent. That’s my commitment to you. I will try whatever is there in my power to repay the faith. I am really excited and looking forward to new beginning and new energy. And have a blast out there with lot of fun,” Pant told mediapersons after being unveiled as the new skipper.
“We start with new hope and aspirations. And most importantly, new confidence. I wanted to introduce you all to our new captain Rishabh Pant,” Goenka said.
This is Pant’s second stint as a leader in the IPL.
At his former franchise Delhi Capitals, the captaincy became a point of contention, leading the 27-year-old Pant to opt out of DC’s retention plans after unsuccessful negotiations.
Pant beat Nicholas Pooran to secure the top job after Rahul didn’t feature in the list of LSG’s retained players. LSG had retained Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ayush Badoni before the auctions.
Right after the auction, Goenka made a cryptic remark that the franchise wanted to keep players who put the team first ahead of their personal goals and milestones, which was construed as a dig at Rahul who often struggled to score at a brisk pace.
Asked about his new team going the distance in the IPL, Pant sounded optimistic.
Definitely happy with the team. We have a mix of youth and experienced players. We have not been where we wanted to be… that’s the journey how we can take this franchise to newer heights.
Despite DC’s interest in keeping him, they were not fully committed to him leading the side, prompting Pant to re-enter the auction.
At the auction, they pipped Sunrisers Hyderabad, LSG to get Pant for Rs 20.75 crore, eventually they had to raise their price to Rs 27 crore to outbid Delhi Capitals’ right-to-match card.
“I know it’s a new beginning for me, new franchise, new owner. The ideology of captaining the side doesnt change. We will add a lot of things which we will discuss with the management and will see how we would take this forward in a better way.”