Coach Justin Langer has big expectations from Rishabh Pant, will the LSG captain be able to live up to it?
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justin langer statement on rishabh pant: Lucknow Super Giants head coach Justin Langer told GeoHotstar, 'If we see Rishabh laughing, smiling and having fun, then he will prove to be a great captain. This is what we learned last year. He came to a new franchise and was trying to leave his impact.
Rishabh Pant can land at number-3.
New Delhi. Lucknow Super Giants coach Justin Langer feels that Rishabh Pant will perform well as captain in the next season of IPL. He said that when Pant has a smile on his face, he becomes an even better cricketer. Last year, LSG had bought Pant for Rs 27 crore, making him the most expensive player of IPL. But there was not much happiness for Pant and LSG in IPL 2025, as the team finished seventh in the points table.
Langer said that Pant had tried his best to make an impact last year and the time spent with him helped the franchise and the coaching staff understand him better. Langer told GeoHotstar, 'If we see Rishabh laughing, smiling and having fun, then he will prove to be a great captain. This is what we learned last year. He came to a new franchise and was trying to leave his impact.
Rishabh Pant can land at number-3.
He said, 'But this time we are seeing Rishabh more comfortable than before. He knows the players well now and we fully support him. He has a smile on his face and is having a lot of fun. There is no more exciting player than him when he plays cricket. LSG's batting is very strong with the presence of Australia's T20 captain Mitchell Marsh, South Africa's Aiden Markram and West Indies' Nicholas Pooran. Despite this the team was not able to play well last year. Langer said that the team has compensated for this in the auction.
He said, 'The auction was very good for us and this is where it starts. Last year the base of our team was very strong. I think our batting was number one in the competition. But we could not take advantage of it. Langer said, 'This year we have included some new players in the team. It will be difficult to select some players. But if our batting and bowling continue to improve, we will have a very good team.
The former Australian opening batsman said that the presence of Mohammed Shami is very important for all the young bowlers in the team. He said, 'Mohammed Shami was telling that all the young players listen to him carefully. He is a very experienced bowler. We often talk about the relationship of elder brother-younger brother or guru-disciple in coaching and here too the relationship is similar. Pant Anand.
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Working as Sub Editor in Network 18 Group since November 2025. 3 years experience in journalism. Debuted in sports journalism with Zee News. Interested in writing about cricket as well as hockey and badminton. mother…read more
