NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Stumper-batsman Rishabh Pant will take over from KL Rahul as Lucknow Super Giants captain in this year’s Indian Premier League.
Lucknow bought the 27-year-old for an eye-watering $3.21 million in the players auction in November in a record deal for the world’s richest Twenty20 competition.
Rahul captained Lucknow in their first three seasons.
Pant, who led Delhi Capitals across three seasons, told reporters in Kolkata on Monday that he would do everything in his power to repay the faith Lucknow had shown in him.
“Looking forward to have a new beginning with new energy and just have a blast out there, and have lots of fun,” he added.
Lucknow made the IPL playoffs in their first two seasons but did not advance last year.
“Yes this is a new team and a new set-up, but my ideology of captaining a side doesn’t change,” Pant said.
“If you give confidence and trust in a player, he will do things you can’t even imagine. That’s the ideology we will try to have. We will give them trust, clear communication and lay out what role we have for them.
“One thing we will stress on is a never-say-die attitude. You fight till the last ball, that’s what I emphasise on.
“Performances will come and go, but are you fighting enough? Are you giving your 100% on the field? And that is something you can control as an individual.”
This season’s IPL will be played from March 21 to May 25.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Peter Rutherford)
