Will Aiden Markram lead LSG in IPL 2026 after Rishabh Pant's exit? South African puts the ball in Sanjiv Goenka's court

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are in search of a captain. After Rishabh Pant stepped down from LSG captaincy in May following their poor show in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh are the two frontrunners to lead the franchise.

Although the upcoming edition of IPL is still about 10 months away, the buzz around the LSG leadership has already started. Playing down the buzz, Markram put the ball in owner Sanjiv Goenka-led management's court, stating that the franchise possess several “quality leaders” for the role.

"I've got no idea," Markram, who has led South Africa previously, told Cricinfo on the sidelines of The Hundred in England. "They can decide whatever they think is best. There's some quality leaders in that group that we have there, so I'm not too fussed about it. Whoever gets it I'm sure will take it on and do a good job, but the thoughts haven't been there just yet."

Who are frontrunners for LSG captaincy?

Markram is certainly one of the candidates for the leadership role. Having led South Africa before, Markram also has the experiences of leading several franchises in T20 cricket. In fact, he is the captain Durban Super Giants (SA20) and Manchester Super Giants (The Hundred) - both the franchises owned by Sanjiv Goenka's RPSG group.

Besides Markram, LSG also have two more options in Australian Mitchell Marsh and West Indies' Nicolas Pooran. While Marsh is currently the skipper of Australia's T20I side, former West Indies captain Pooran is currently the captain of MI New York in Major League Cricket (MLC) in USA.

LSG get Kuldeep Yadav for Rishabh Pant

Pant's stepping down from captaincy is a part of his trade to Delhi Capitals, the franchise where the wicketkeeper-batter spent nine years in IPL. As a part of the trade, wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav will join LSG, thus marking one of the most significant player trades in recent IPL history.

Pant made 111 appearances for Delhi Capitals in his nine seasons between 2016 and 2024 – the most by any player for the franchise. One of the defining faces of the franchise for nearly a decade, Pant also captained the side in 43 matches across four seasons from 2021 to 2024.

Earlier, Pant joined LSG for a record-breaking ₹27 crore – the highest winning bid in IPL history. Following the trade, Pant will rejoin Delhi Capitals at a revised fee of ₹15 crore. Kuldeep joins LSG after a highly successful spell with Delhi Capitals lasting five seasons.

Since arriving at the franchise in 2022, the left-arm wrist spinner has claimed 72 wickets in 65 matches and established himself as one of the most effective wicket-taking bowlers in the tournament. One of India's premier white-ball bowlers, Kuldeep join LSG at his existing fee of ₹13.50 crore.