LSG trade Rishabh Pant to Delhi for Kuldeep Yadav, leaving captaincy vacant ahead of IPL 2027

Ahead of the 2027 Indian Premier League, Lucknow Super Giants traded Rishabh Pant to Delhi Capitals in exchange for Kuldeep Yadav, leaving the Super Giants without a captain.

The Super Giants are one of three IPL franchises yet to win the title, alongside Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, and have undergone multiple squad overhauls without coming close to the trophy. Under KL Rahul they reached the playoffs in their first two seasons, but their form has since declined. Last season Lucknow finished bottom of the points table with eight points from 14 games.

Lucknow began last season by winning two of their first four matches before a six-match winless run. Across the final five games of the campaign they managed only two wins.

LSG’s batting order struggled throughout the year, with Aiden Markram, Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran and others frequently shuffled and the lineup lacking consistency. The franchise invested heavily in players such as Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran, but those acquisitions did not produce the expected returns.

Mitchell Marsh was Lucknow’s leading run-scorer with 563 runs in 13 matches, followed by Pant on 312; only those two passed 300 runs. The club will therefore need to add batting reinforcements, while the arrival of Kuldeep Yadav is expected to bolster their bowling resources.

Lucknow attempted to acquire Yashasvi Jaiswal from Rajasthan Royals, but the deal collapsed after communication broke down between the two franchises. With Rishabh Pant’s departure and the squad issues exposed last season, the Super Giants face work in the IPL 2027 auction to address those shortcomings.

LSG must appoint a new captain and prioritise strengthening their batting at the IPL 2027 auction to remedy the deficiencies that contributed to last season’s bottom-place finish.