‘Too Many Coaches in LSG?’ Sunil Gavaskar Weighs In on Rishabh Pant’s Comments

Sunil Gavaskar reacted strongly to Rishabh Pant’s comments about “too many voices” in the LSG dressing room after IPL 2026.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has reacted strongly to Rishabh Pant stepping down as Lucknow Super Giants captain after IPL 2026. LSG finished at the bottom of the table with just 4 wins in 14 matches, prompting Pant to leave the leadership role only 2 seasons after joining the franchise for INR 27 crore ahead of IPL 2025.

Pant also struggled personally with the bat during the campaign, while reports of tension inside the dressing room continued to grow. Earlier in the season, the wicketkeeper-batter had hinted at “too many voices” influencing decisions within the team setup.

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Lucknow has a large support staff that included Justin Langer, Tom Moody, Bharat Arun, Lance Klusener and Kane Williamson.

Gavaskar said Pant’s comments did not reflect well on the coaching group and suggested bigger changes could follow. He also warned that “talk is cheap” and said cricket eventually exposes exaggerated claims.

“Rishabh Pant stepping down as the captain of his team, which finished bottom of the table, is the first change in captaincy for the next season, as there could well be many more before the new season starts next year. He did say on more than one occasion that there were too many voices in his ear and too many thought processes, which is definitely not a compliment to the support staff. Whether that leads to a wholesale change at the franchise will be interesting to see,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar. 

“Talk is easy, and it is cheap too, and making big claims like some coaches have, may make good headlines, but cricket has a funny way of biting on the backside,” he added.

Gavaskar Praises Andy Flower’s Quiet Approach

Sunil Gavaskar then pointed to Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower as the ideal example of how IPL support staff should operate. He praised Flower’s calm and low-profile approach and noted that Flower avoids making headline-grabbing statements and instead allows players to focus on their cricket.

“Andy Flower, the coach of RCB, which has now won two back-to-back titles, is a fine example of someone who works quietly, with no big statements that make headlines. And no golfing and beer-drinking buddies as members of his support staff either,” Gavaskar wrote further. 

“Maybe there’s a lesson there. If only those who appoint them could see that, then their teams would not be out of contention even before the first month of the tournament is over,” he added.

In the tournament, RCB became only the third franchise to win back-to-back IPL titles after defeating Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final on Sunday.

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