Wasim Jaffer suggested removing Rishabh Pant as LSG captain in IPL 2026, and backed Aiden Markram for leadership amid a four-match losing streak and poor form.
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has advised Lucknow Super Giants to reconsider their leadership in IPL 2026. He suggested handing the captaincy to Aiden Markram to improve team balance.
Wasim Jaffer believes Rishabh Pant performs better without the pressure of captaincy. He wants Pant to focus on batting and play a free role in the middle order.
“I feel a player like Rishabh Pant should play purely as a player. You get the best out of him when you free him up and tell him to just go out and play and win matches on his own. Don’t burden him with captaincy. I think Aiden Markram is a better captain. He has led South Africa very successfully, he is mentally strong, very composed, and I think he can get the best out of the other players. But this doesn’t look like something that will actually happen. This is just my suggestion, but if I were there, that’s what I would do,” Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.
Markram brings leadership experience from franchise and international cricket. He led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to 2 SA20 titles. He also led South Africa to the 2024 final and 2026 semi-final in the T20 World Cups.
Jaffer also proposed changes to the batting order. He recommended Markram and Mitchell Marsh as openers. Nicholas Pooran should move to number 3, with Pant at 4. Ayush Badoni at 5, Abdul Samad at 6, and Mukul Choudhary at 7.
“LSG looks completely out of place right now, it’s hard to even know what to expect from them. If I were in that dugout, the first thing I would do is make Aiden Markram the captain. I would open with Markram and Mitchell Marsh. At number three, Nicholas Pooran, then Rishabh Pant at four, and Ayush Badoni at five. At number six, Abdul Samad, and at seven, Mukul Choudhary. That would be my top seven, and I would go with this batting order,” he added.
Rishabh Pant’s side will next face the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 26 at the Ekana International Stadium.
This article follows WicketWatcher’s editorial standards. Learn more in our Editorial Policy or report an issue via our Corrections Policy.