As the IPL 2026 approaches its last leg, Lucknow Super Giants announced on Friday that captain Rishabh Pant has stepped down after requesting to be relieved of his leadership duties, with the franchise accepting his decision with immediate effect.The announcement means Pant is no longer the captain of the Lucknow-based franchise, ending his tenure at the helm of the team.Also Read | Need to consider a reset: Tom Moody hints at leadership change at LSGConfirming the development, LSG's Director of Cricket Tom Moody said Pant had approached the management seeking to step aside from the role and that the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise had agreed to his request."Rishabh approached the franchisee with this request and we have respectfully accepted it. These decisions are never easy. We are grateful for everything Rishabh has brought to this dressing room as captain. Our focus now is on the collective - rebuilding and restructuring to reach the best standards," Moody said, the team noted in an official statement on X.— LucknowIPL (@LucknowIPL) The new captain is set to be announced "in due course," the franchise's website said.Pant's decision comes after a difficult spell with the franchise following his high-profile arrival ahead of IPL 2025, when Lucknow secured his services for a record Rs 27 crore at the auction.Also Read | Rishabh Pant fined Rs 12 lakh by IPL for maintaining slow over rate against CSKExpectations were high around the wicketkeeper-batter, but the team struggled to deliver consistent results under his leadership.LSG missed out on the playoffs in both of the last two seasons, while their IPL 2026 campaign never gathered momentum, with the side managing only four wins from 10 matches.Pant himself endured a challenging season, and his subdued demeanour during several post-match interactions reflected the frustrations of a campaign that fell well short of expectations for both the player and the franchise.Leadership questions ahead of Pant's exitPant's decision comes days after Moody publicly acknowledged that Lucknow's leadership structure could be reviewed following another disappointing campaign.Speaking after LSG's defeat to Punjab Kings, the Director of Cricket admitted that the wicketkeeper-batter had found the demands of captaincy difficult to navigate and suggested the burden may have affected his performances with the bat.Moody had said the franchise would undertake a thorough review of all aspects of its season, including leadership, after LSG slipped towards the bottom of the standings.The scrutiny on the now former captain had intensified because of the record-breaking price tag attached to his arrival.Widely regarded as one of India's most explosive batters, Pant enjoyed some of the finest seasons of his IPL career in 2018 and 2019. However, he was unable to replicate those standards at Lucknow, scoring 581 runs across two seasons at a strike rate below his career average in the competition.Moody had also stressed that the team's struggles could not be attributed to one individual, insisting that players, coaches and management shared responsibility for the disappointing results.