The first match of the Lucknow Super Giants saw a very unusual comparison taking place at the field today when the newly appointed skipper for the franchise, Rishabh Pant was dismissed for a duck by Kuldeep Yadav which made people remember how KL Rahul, the previous skipper for the side saw his way back to the pavilion on a duck on his first match as captain.
KL Rahul’s Captaincy Across Franchises
The IPL sees KL Rahul as one of its most reliable hitters while he has served as a team leader for multiple teams in the tournament. Rahul became the captain of Punjab Kings for two consecutive seasons between 2020 and 2021. His team missed appearing in playoffs although he demonstrated top-notch individual performances. KL Rahul concluded his PBKS captaincy phase without experience of ever being dismissed without scoring any runs.
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In 2022 KL Rahul took on the captaincy role at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) when this team was first introduced to the IPL competition. The beginning of LSG’s captaincy era under KL Rahul turned out to be regrettable when he got dismissed without scoring in the first match under his captaincy. The team qualified for playoffs in its inaugural season under his captaincy at LSG even though he delivered a duck in his opening match as captain.
KL Rahul’s IPL Stats (as of 2025)
Matches: 132
Runs: 4,683
Average: 45.47
Strike Rate: 134.61
Centuries: 4
Fifties: 37
Rishabh Pant’s Leadership for Delhi Capitals
Shreyas Iyer’s injury prompted Delhi Capitals to give Rishabh Pant his first captaincy role in 2021. The group stage of DC proved successful under his leadership while they suffered a defeat during the playoff matches. During his time as captain of Delhi Capitals Rishabh Pant never faced the embarrassment of being dismissed without scoring any runs.
Due to his absence through injury for IPL 2023 Delhi Capitals suffered from both the lack of his captaincy expertise and his powerful batting abilities. Pant’s bold and fearless leadership style helped him establish himself as a powerful head for the Delhi Capitals.
Rishabh Pant’s IPL Stats (as of 2025)
Matches: 112
Runs: 3,284
Average: 34.94
Strike Rate: 148.53
Centuries: 1
Fifties: 18
The similar leadership qualities of Rahul and Pant contrast with their different batting performances at their respective new teams in the IPL.
