India, May 24 -- Rishabh Pant arrived at Lucknow Super Giants as the centrepiece of a new project, not only as another big-name signing. The Rs.27 crore price carried more than batting value. It carried captaincy, Indian-player scarcity, wicketkeeping cover, brand weight, and the expectation that LSG were buying a player around whom the next cycle could be built.

The second season of that cycle has now ended, and the ledger does not give LSG much comfort. Pant had a season without enough value. For a franchise that has committed to paying him across a multi-year IPL contract, the question before 2027 is not emotional. It is financial and cricketing: can LSG justify carrying the same Rs.27 crore annual burden after a year in which Pant re...