"At Least 5...": Rishabh Pant Given Stern Target By LSG Owner After Being Named Captain

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was on Monday named the new captain of Lucknow Super Giants for the upcoming edition of IPL. The Lucknow-based franchise acquired the services of Pant at a whopping total of Rs 27 crore, making him the most expensive player in the history of the IPL auctions. The 27-year-old, who earlier captained Delhi Capitals, replaced his compatriot KL Rahul as the skipper at LSG. During the event in Kolkata, where LSG announced Pant as the captain, owner Sanjiv Goenka also lavished praises on the star wicketkeeper.

Goenka stated that he expects Pant to play for LSG for at least 14-15 years and clinch a minimum of "five titles".

"Surely Rishabh Pant will play for at least 14-15 years for us, we hope at least five IPL titles in these years," Goenka said on Star Sports.

Goenka even went on to state that in the coming decade, Pant's name will be among the most successful IPL captains like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.

"People say that MI and CSK are more successful. Mahi and Rohit are undeniably brilliant. Mark my words, after 10 years, people will say, Mahi, Rohit, and Rishabh," Goenka said.

"In my belief, time will prove that he is not only the most successful player of the IPL, but he is going to be the best player of the IPL. I haven't seen players with that kind of passion and hunger to win," he added.

The LSG owner is widely known for his strict and no nonsense nature. Earlier in 2017, he removed the legendary MS Dhoni from the captaincy of the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants after the former India skipper failed to bring satisfactory results in the previous season.

Not only this, Goenka also received a lot of criticism after he was seen publicly confronting LSG's former skipper KL Rahul