"Get rid of the captaincy" - Mark Boucher delivers blunt verdict on Rishabh Pant after IPL 2026 debacle

Mark Boucher opined that captaincy and batting are not working together for Rishabh Pant. He advised the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) management to relieve the wicketkeeper-batter of captaincy duties next season.

Pant has been at the helm at LSG since last season after being roped in at a record-breaking price of INR 27 crore at the mega auction. However, in his first two seasons, LSG has finished seventh and 10th, respectively. Pant's batting performances have also dipped considerably.

In the last two seasons, the 28-year-old played 28 matches, scoring just 581 runs. His strike rate has been 133.17 and 138.05 in IPL 2025 and 2026, respectively. In the two seasons, he has only notched up two fifties and one century.

Boucher said that if captaincy pressure is proving to be an impediment to his batting, the LSG management should appoint someone else in the role next season.

"Rishabh Pant the cricketer and his leadership, the two are not working together. We have seen that for a couple of seasons now. He hasn't produced what he is expected to produce. Not everyone is like Rishabh Pant. There are certain players who need to prepare properly. You need to be able to sit down with your captain and explain your line of thinking. He needs to understand that as well," Boucher said during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo Timeout.

"We all want to see Pant hitting the ball all over the ground. If the captaincy is getting in the way, then get rid of the captaincy," he added.

"He cannot change his personality overnight" - Ambati Rayudu on Pant's leadership style

Ambati Rayudu said that Pant is someone who relies on his instinct and is not on to take methodical decisions. The former India batter added that if Pant's way of captaining the side isn't working, it's better that he lets go of the responsibility and focus on his batting.

"For someone who always relies on instinct, it is so hard for him to prepare everything, be methodical in terms of his decisions. Either you give him captaincy and let him be the way he is or you don't give him captaincy. He cannot change his personality overnight. He has a certain way of captaining. If that is not working, the best thing he can do is be a player and enjoy his cricket and perform for the team," Rayudu stated.