Sanjiv Goenka IPL 2026: After the defeat against Delhi, Sanjiv Goenka gave Rishabh Pant a dressing down on the field. Goenka is facing severe criticism after a video of the incident went viral on social media. Find out what the team owner has to say about this controversy and who Pant held responsible after the loss.
Sanjiv Goenka IPL 2026, LSG vs DC: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have tasted their first defeat of the season in IPL 2026. The fifth match of the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was played between Delhi Capitals and Lucknow at the Ekana Stadium. Team owner Sanjiv Goenka could not bear the pain of this defeat on their home ground and was seen getting angry at captain Rishabh Pant on the field as soon as the match ended. A video of this incident is going viral on social media, in which Goenka is seen speaking very sharply to captain Pant and the support staff. Fans are heavily criticising Goenka after watching this video and are recalling past controversies. Let's find out what happened between Goenka and Pant after this defeat and what clarification the team owner gave later.
In the video, Sanjiv Goenka is seen talking to captain Rishabh Pant and the support staff after the match ended. Fans, watching this video, are recalling the incident from 2024 when Goenka had a public dressing-down of KL Rahul on the field. Although it is not clear this time what he said to Pant, fans believe that Goenka should not talk to the players on the field in this manner.
Amidst heavy criticism, Sanjiv Goenka broke his silence by sharing a post on 'X' (formerly Twitter). In this post, he was seen boosting his team's morale. He wrote, 'This is a long season, and moments like these are part of building something meaningful. I have full confidence in our captain (Rishabh Pant) and the entire team to respond with strength. Thank you to the fans for your support at Ekana Stadium, we will come back stronger. The story of Lucknow Super Giants is not over yet.'
After the match, captain Rishabh Pant, explaining the reason for the defeat, said that the team could not build big partnerships in batting. Pant said, 'The plan was for Nicholas Pooran to come in at number 5 and take charge of the innings. We needed an impact player who could add some runs, because despite a good pitch, we didn't have many runs on the board. Ayush Badoni was given a specific role to take charge of the innings if wickets fell.' Pant admitted that a score of 141 was not enough to put pressure on the opposition team and they missed around 20 runs.