IPL 2026: ‘He’s had the most difficult time’ - Rishabh Pant on Sanjiv Goenka amid LSG’s tough season

Published - 04 May 2026, 20:55 IST | Updated - 04 May 2026, 20:55 IST

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant admitted that the franchise has endured a difficult campaign in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, while highlighting the challenges faced by team owner Sanjiv Goenka.

Speaking at the toss ahead of their Match 47 clash against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Pant acknowledged the team’s struggles and pointed out that their owner Goenka has had an especially tough time due to his deep involvement and passion for the side.

“One thing we always found out, it’s been a tough season for us and there is no running away from that, but one person for us who has had the most difficult time was our owner Mr. Goenka. He’s one of those guys, everyone knows how passionate he is about cricket and about his team,” Pant said.

LSG are having a horrific season, managing to win just two of their first eight matches. Pant admitted that the team has not lived up to expectations and also apologised to the supporters for the results so far, promising them of a strong comeback.

“But at the same time we have let our fans down. The only promise is from this break is, we’re gonna give our 200%, try to bring that happiness back and hopefully we can do it for our owner and the fans for sure,” he added.

Meanwhile, MI’s stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl first in this must-win encounter for them. Hardik Pandya was not named in the starting XI due to being unwell, whereas Rohit Sharma made his much-anticipated return.

From LSG, Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis made his IPL return, whereas Mukul Choudhary was replaced by Akshat Raghuwanshi. LSG currently are at the tenth position in the points table, and a win against MI is needed for them to stay alive in the competition.