"The only problem is that the connection is lost" - Aakash Chopra on whether LSG should release Rishabh Pant after IPL 2025

Former India player Aakash Chopra has wondered whether the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) should release Rishabh Pant after his underwhelming performances in IPL 2025. He noted that the franchise could release and reacquire their skipper at the auction, but highlighted that such a move would sour their relationship.

LSG acquired Pant for a record ₹27 crore at the IPL 2025 auction, and subsequently appointed him as their skipper for the recently concluded season. However, the wicketkeeper-batter didn't have a great run both as a player and a captain, managing 269 runs at an average of 24.45 in 13 innings and failing to lead his team to the playoffs.

In his video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener acknowledged that LSG could release Pant and reacquire him for a cheaper price at the auction, but pointed out that it would make their relationship transactional.

"What about Rishabh Pant? If you release Rishabh Pant, you will sit with ₹60-65 crore in the auction. You could be the next Punjab Kings. You will have the money to buy everyone. You can go with that thought process. You can also consider releasing Rishabh Pant at ₹27 crore and buying him back for ₹14-15 crore," Chopra said (3:00).

"That is also a possibility, because, at this point in time, except for KKR, no one else is looking for a captain. They (KKR) might not go towards Rishabh Pant, although they should. You can release Rishabh and buy him back, but the only problem is that the connection is lost. The connection becomes a transactional relationship," he added.

Aakash Chopra opined that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might show interest in Pant in the auction as they need a middle-order wicketkeeper-batter. He noted that the franchise can get Ajinkya Rahane to open and bat Venkatesh Iyer at No. 3 in such a scenario.

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"If you release Rishabh Pant, you will have a massive auction" - Aakash Chopra

Rishabh Pant reached the 50-run mark just twice in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that the Lucknow Super Giants would have enough money at the IPL 2026 auction even if they don't release Rishabh Pant, but added that they would have huge resources at their disposal if they let him go.

"The call would not be make or break because even if you release Akash Deep, David Miller, Mayank Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi, you will have so much money, plus the incremental value you get, that you will have a good auction. If you release Rishabh Pant, you will have a massive auction. Then no one will be able to outbid you, from any perspective," he said.

To conclude, the cricketer-turned-commentator opined that LSG might retain their skipper, highlighting that it's not easy to shop for a captain and that the left-handed batter showed his capability in his final innings of IPL 2025.

"I don't think they will let him go because you don't get a captain that easily, although they had a very ordinary season, even from the captaincy point of view. However, eventually he made the Spidey jump and showed what he is capable of. So they might still retain him," Chopra observed.

Pant smashed an unbeaten 118 off 61 deliveries in the final league game of IPL 2025 in Lucknow on May 27. However, his knock went in vain as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) achieved the 228-run target with six wickets and eight deliveries to spare to finish second after the league phase.