IPL 2025: Lucknow Super Giants lost to Delhi Capitals in their first match in IPL on Monday. In the video which is going viral on social media after the match, team owner Sanjiv Goenka is seen talking to captain Rishabh Pant.

Highlights

• Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka expressed displeasure with Pant
• BCCI rules expect professional behaviour from players
• Showing anger on the field can harm the team's image

IPL 2025: Lucknow Super Giants were on their way to defeating Delhi Capitals in their first match of IPL 2025 on Monday. But Ashutosh Sharma snatched victory from the jaws of Super Giants and led the Capitals to victory while chasing 210 runs in Visakhapatnam. The two points, which belonged to the Super Giants for a long time, finally went to Delhi Capitals. After this defeat of Lucknow, franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen on the field with captain Rishabh Pant. His video and pictures are going viral on social media, in which he (Sanjiv Goenka) is seen talking to Rishabh Pant. 

In the video, Rishabh Pant is seen explaining something to Sanjiv Goenka. Looking at the seriousness of Rishabh Pant, it seems that Sanjiv was not very happy with the performance of the team. Lucknow Super Giants have spent Rs 27 crore to buy Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant is the most expensive player to be sold in IPL history. But Rishabh Pant would never want to remember his first match for the franchise. After playing six balls, Rishabh Pant returned to the dugout on zero. Apart from this, he also made some mistakes in captaincy. 

This is not the

first time that Sanjiv Goenka has come to the ground after Lucknow's defeat and talked to the captain. Last year, this happened with KL Rahul, who was the captain at that time. People were not happy with what happened at that time. Lucknow Super Giants had to face defeat by 10 wickets at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad in that match, due to which they could have lost their place in the play-offs. Goenka did not seem polite towards his captain, who is one of the brightest stars in world cricket. 

KL Rahul was reprimanded

Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul stood in a sweat-soaked jersey, holding the strap of his helmet, listening to his extremely upset team owner Sanjiv Goenka. Goenka, the billionaire chairman of the RPSG Group, who paid a record Rs 7,090 crore for the IPL franchise, kept shaking his hands incessantly. Meanwhile, Rahul would make a feeble attempt to respond, but would stop in the middle. He would give up, bow his head down and keep staring at the helmet in his hands. There was a lot of uproar after this. KL Rahul was released by Lucknow ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Now Rahul is a part of Delhi Capitals. 

Expressing anger on the field is disrespectful

The IPL has laid down rules for franchise owners on how to run their teams and share in the revenue. But there are no clear rules on how they should interact with players. The only thing that is expected of them is that they should behave in a professional manner. IPL franchise owners may feel disappointed or dissatisfied with a player's performance, but expressing anger directly at players on the field during a match is generally unprofessional and inappropriate. The IPL is a professional league, and professionalism must be maintained in interactions between owners and players. Publicly expressing anger on the field is disrespectful and can harm player morale and the team's image. 

Private conversations are justified

Owners primarily handle the business and strategic aspects of the franchise. On-field coaching and player management are usually the responsibilities of team coaches and captains. Owners may privately discuss with players after matches or during team meetings, to address concerns or provide feedback. They may show their support through applause or positive gestures. There are instances where owners show emotional reactions in the private box, but they are separate from the on-field interactions. Expressing anger publicly can create a negative atmosphere within the team and impact player performance. When emotions run high during IPL matches, direct anger expressed on the field by owners towards players is generally not appreciated by anyone.

Underestimating stars is wrong

Be it Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul, these scenes are disturbing. Such conversations should happen behind closed doors, not in front of many cameras in the stadium. Coaches scold the team on the playing field, rivals take their fight beyond the boundary line. All this is within the limits of tolerance. But a non-cricketer owner preaching to an Indian cricket star is a crime for which he cannot be forgiven. IPL owners need to understand that they cannot underestimate the stars who bring fans to the stadium. These stars give them a chance to come in the limelight, which the world has their eyes on. 

Business rules don't apply in sports

They are owners of teams, not members of teams. They may be champions of industries and corporate giants, but on the field of play, especially for fans, they are extras. For years, cricketers have been icons of this country, not to be scorned publicly in a stadium full of their fans. It is the IPL auction process that gives the owners a false sense of ownership over the players. For most, cricket is just one of their many corporate acquisitions and part of their business diversification strategy. This is why an IPL team is treated as a commercial entity, with cricketers as their salaried employees. But sports are not governed by the rules taught in business schools and it is not an investment that pays regular annual dividends. A captain cannot be seen as some clumsy floor manager.

Take inspiration from football and basketball

T20 cricket aspires to go global by breaking into the US pro-sports market and has already been included in the Olympics. But with such big ambitions, it cannot continue with these petty antics that undermine its greatest cricketers. T20 has enough on-field drama, it doesn't need another storyline like reality TV. The IPL is just 17 years old, but it is a teenager compared to the much more developed and grander sports leagues around the world, where global sports stars play for much richer owners. Cricket in India can take inspiration from football in Europe and basketball in the US. This is where the owners respect the sanctity of the team dugout.