AB de Villiers has suggested that Rishabh Pant’s exit from Lucknow Super Giants may have had less to do with performances than with the environment around the team. On his YouTube channel, he said the unhappiness could have come from the ownership or coaching setup. LSG finished bottom of the table under Pant’s captaincy.
The trade
Pant has since returned to Delhi Capitals, reportedly on a lower salary, while LSG received spinner Kuldeep Yadav in a deal worth INR 13.50 crore. De Villiers noted there had been signs of frustration in some of Pant’s post-match interviews and said that, after such a season, the move back to Delhi was no surprise.
Changes at Delhi
The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter also discussed Delhi’s shifting structure. Under a recent agreement between co-owners JSW and GMR Sports India Pvt Ltd, JSW will run the franchise for the next two years. Sourav Ganguly is expected to become Director of Cricket, and Yuvraj Singh is likely to join in a coaching role.
De Villiers, 42, voiced concern about how often things change, saying repeated shifts in ownership and staff can leave players confused and affect the overall atmosphere. He said it would be interesting to see how Pant, Ganguly and Yuvraj fit together.
He also found the timing curious: Pant missed the previous two-year GMR cycle and is returning just as JSW takes over again. De Villiers said he is not a fan of such recurring ownership transitions.
Pant’s return is likely to be among the biggest talking points going into IPL 2027.
