Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will enter the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 season looking for a new captain after Rishabh Pant stepped down from the role following the 2026 campaign.
The wicketkeeper-batter subsequently returned to Delhi Capitals (DC) in a player trade, with left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav moving to Lucknow. The franchise has not announced Pant’s successor, leaving the leadership position open ahead of the next season.
have qualified for the playoffs just twice, in 2022 and 2023, and selecting the right captain will be paramount to the team’s chances of going all the way in IPL 2027.
Here are five players who could take over as the captain of Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the 2027 season.
has experience leading teams at international and franchise levels. He captained South Africa’s Under-19 team to the 2014 ICC Under-19 World Cup title and later became South Africa’s T20I captain. He also led Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2023, when the franchise finished 10th in the standings.
Markram has also captained Sunrisers Eastern Cape to consecutive SA20 titles in 2023 and 2024.
His familiarity with LSG’s setup and experience across different formats put him among the candidates to succeed Pant. However, Markram has said the decision rests with the franchise management.
is another option with international captaincy experience. The all-rounder has led Australia in T20 internationals since 2024 and has also captained the side in ODIs whenever regular skipper Pat Cummins was unavailable.
Marsh has not previously captained an IPL franchise, making the role in Lucknow a potential first in the tournament.
His experience managing Australia’s national side in the shortest format provides a leadership background, although LSG would have to decide whether to appoint a captain without previous IPL leadership experience.
brings experience from both international cricket and franchise T20 competitions.
He captained the West Indies in white-ball cricket in 2022 and has led Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League. He has also held leadership roles in franchise T20 cricket elsewhere.
Pooran has already captained LSG in the IPL. He took charge of one match in 2024 when KL Rahul was used as an Impact Player due to an injury. That stint gives the franchise an existing reference point for his leadership in the tournament.
Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis is another candidate LSG could consider for the captaincy.
Inglis was part of Lucknow Super Giants’ squad for IPL 2026, having been acquired for ₹8.6 crore at the auction. He also brings international leadership experience, having captained Australia in the absence of senior players.
In May 2026, Inglis was named Australia’s captain for the ODI series against Pakistan after Mitchell Marsh was ruled out with an ankle injury. He had previously led Australia during the 2024 Pakistan series. His experience as a wicketkeeper-batter could also be relevant as LSG look to fill the leadership vacancy left by Pant.
However, Inglis has not captained an IPL franchise. LSG would need to weigh his international leadership experience against the franchise captaincy records of Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran before making a decision.
Ayush Badoni is another Indian player in LSG’s squad who could enter the conversation. The Delhi batter has been with the franchise since its inaugural IPL season in 2022 and has developed into a regular contributor in its batting line-up.
Badoni, however, does not have a comparable record in senior international or IPL captaincy to the other candidates listed. His inclusion is therefore a developmental possibility rather than a case built on established leadership credentials.
LSG’s decision will depend on the squad retained for IPL 2027, the team’s overseas player combination, and the management’s preferred leadership structure. As of October 2026, the franchise has not officially named Pant’s successor.
