Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka had big expectations from his franchise, especially after he managed to bring a marquee player like Rishabh Pant to the team. LSG had a headline-making mega auction last year that saw them rope in the wicket-keeper batter for a record-breaking fee of INR 27 crore. Despite possessing a batting unit comprising of top players like Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant, David Miller, etc. the franchise couldn’t finish in the last four.

LSG had a glimmer of hope of reaching the knockouts but the defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday put them out of contention. As chatter around the franchise’s future plans, especially with regards to skipper Rishabh Pant, floods social media, owner Sanjiv Goenka poured his heart out, highlighting his learnings from the campaign.

“It’s been a challenging second half of the season, but there’s much to take heart in. The spirit, the effort, and the moments of excellence give us a lot to build on. Two games remain. Let’s play with pride and finish strong. #LSGvsSRH,” Goenka wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

It’s been a challenging second half of the season, but there’s much to take heart in. The spirit, the effort, and the moments of excellence give us a lot to build on. Two games remain. Let’s play with pride and finish strong. #LSGvsSRH pic.twitter.com/gFzyddlnMn

— Dr. Sanjiv Goenka (@DrSanjivGoenka) May 20, 2025

The post also came with a picture that showed Goenka standing while resting his hands on Pant’s shoulders. Some of the other players from the team can be seen sitting around Pant in the picture.

After the defeat against the Sunrisers, Pant highlighted the team’s injury-plauged bowling unit as the biggest reason behind the poor show this season. 

“We knew we had gaps to fill because of injuries. As a team we had decided not to talk about it. But it became to close the gaps. The way we planned the auction, if we would have had the same bowling, the story would have been different. Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t. We take pride in the way we played and will look at the positives,” Pant had said after the game.