India, May 5 -- Lucknow Super Giants have not been the same since their first two IPL seasons under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir. In 2025, their campaign unravelled as they finished seventh in the table. A year later, they are staring down the barrel, hoping to avoid the wooden spoon in IPL 2026. After managing six wins in 14 games last season, Lucknow have slipped further, with just two wins this year and are currently on a six-match losing streak.

Rishabh Pant was touted as the "next MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma," as owner Sanjiv Goenka had boldly claimed after securing the big signing at the mega auction before the 2025 season. But neither as a captain nor as a batter has Pant-once billed as the next face of Indian cricket-lived up t...