'Nice way to put it': Sanjay Manjrekar rejects LSG captaincy burden theory behind Rishabh Pant's poor IPL batting

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes Rishabh Pant's batting struggles in IPL 2026 cannot be explained solely by the pressures of captaincy, saying something has clearly gone wrong with the wicketkeeper-batter's game after a difficult season with Lucknow Super Giants.Pant was relieved of LSG's captaincy duties last week after the franchise finished at the bottom of the 10-team table. His individual form also came under scrutiny, with the left-hander managing only 312 runs in 14 innings. "Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) wish to formally announce that Rishabh Pant has requested to be relieved of his captaincy duties with the franchise, and the franchisee has accepted his request with immediate effect," the franchise said in an official statement."Rishabh approached the franchisee with this request and we have respectfully accepted it," LSG's Director of Cricket Tom Moody was quoted as saying in the media release."These decisions are never easy. We are grateful for everything Rishabh has brought to this dressing room as captain. Our focus now is on the collective rebuilding and restructuring to reach the best standards," the release added.Speaking on a recent Sportstar podcast, Manjrekar said Pant's batting issues appeared deeper than the burden of leadership."That's a nice way to put it (that captaincy was probably burdening him) but clearly something has gone wrong with his batting. I wonder why, because he's a phenomenal player."The former India cricketer expressed hope that stepping away from captaincy could help Pant regain his form but felt the franchise had decided a change was necessary."Let's hope stepping away from the captaincy helps him rediscover his best form. But clearly, the franchise felt it needed to go in a different direction."Manjrekar also backed the decision to move on from Pant as captain, suggesting LSG were among the teams that needed a leadership change."There are a few teams that probably need to move on from their current leaders, and LSG is certainly one of them. So I think it's a good move," Manjrekar added.