Sanjiv Goenka Rishabh Pant. Image Credits: AFP/X
For the third season in a row, the Lucknow Super Giants have missed out on making it to the IPL playoffs, as they finished at the bottom of the points table in IPL 2026. This comes after they made Rishabh Pant the highest-paid IPL player in the mega auction ahead of the 2025 season and appointed him captain.
In what was an extremely difficult season for LSG, they managed only 4 wins in 14 matches and were level on points with the Mumbai Indians, who had a better net run-rate. The team had found some momentum towards the final stages of the season, but did not have wins to show for it.
Additionally, yet again, Rishabh Pant’s form remained a concern despite scoring a match-winning fifty early in the season. In a batter-dominated modern-day T20 cricket, he finished two seasons with a sub-140 strike rate. His captaincy also looked under par with some questionable decisions at crucial junctures of the matches, resulting in losses.
After a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign for both Rishabh Pant and Lucknow Super Giants, we take a look at how much every run from Pant ended up costing LSG this season.
Rishabh Pant IPL 2026 price
The wicketkeeper batter and T20 World Cup 2024 winner with the Indian team was one of the most sought-after players in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He attracted bids from RCB, SRH and DC before LSG eventually swooped him in for a mammoth INR 27 crore.
LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka openly showed his trust in Pant’s batting as well as captaincy and thought he was a long-term investment and would bring laurels to the franchise, which is still waiting for its first title.
In IPL 2026, he featured in 14 matches at a match fee of INR 7.5 lakh per game, earning INR 1.05 crore in match fees to go with the INR 27 crore contract. In total, he earned INR 28,05,00,000 (28.05 crore) exclusive of taxes and any fines.
Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah's Cost Per wicket For MI In IPL 2026
How did Rishabh Pant perform in IPL 2026?
At the back of a disappointing IPL 2025, where he scored 118* in the final match to take the season tally to 269 runs, Pant started IPL 2026 decently. Within the first few matches, he scored a match-winning 68* (50) vs SRH.
However, as the season progressed, he failed to keep up the form and momentum as the results kept going against them. Batting at four different positions, he played 13 innings and scored 312 runs in IPL 2026 at a strike rate of 138.05. His fifty against SRH is the only fifty-plus score of the season for Pant. As a wicketkeeper, he took 10 catches as well.
Rishabh Pant’s cost per run in IPL 2026
In IPL 2027, Pant carried the same contract as last year and had an INR 7.5 lakh match fee, which added up to INR 28.05 crore for the season.
With 312 runs to his name, he earned INR 8,99,038.46 (approx. 9 lakh) for every run that he scored.
After showing so much trust on their captain and star batter openly, it is unlikely that Sanjiv Goenka and the think tank contemplate his LSG future. Considering he has 3865 runs in 139 IPL matches at a strike rate of 146.79, he has shown what he is capable of and is likely to be backed for IPL 2027, which will also mark the end of the three-year cycle.
Despite backing him as a player, there could be some discussions over his captaincy ahead of the next season as per the recent reports. This could help him bat freely and return to the best of his rhythm again.
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