High stakes pressure Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season leapt from the field to the broadcast microphone. After the heated interview after the match Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh pants Let’s make a clear note, the legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar came to the crease to defend the young captain. Instead of joining the chorus of criticism aimed at Pant, the former India captain took aim at the league’s leading broadcasters and questioned the mad rush to provide live reactions from losing captains.
Pant’s unfiltered moment came after a frustrating loss Rajasthan Royals (RR)finishing at the bottom of the points table ended an unforgettable IPL 2026 campaign for LSG. While Pant’s individual form also suffered, it was his raw emotional outburst on live television that sparked a massive media storm, scoring just 312 runs in 14 matches. Defending his team despite the defeat, Pant said bluntly:We are a good team.” While the blasphemy provoked an immediate reaction from purists, Gavaskar argues that the fault runs deep in the fabric of modern sports broadcasting.
Sunil Gavaskar slams IPL coverage of Rishabh Pant swearing controversy
In his column for Noon, Gavaskar analyzes the immediate physical and emotional toll the live broadcast took on the captain. He points out that after a heartbreaking loss, especially in punishing weather, it’s fundamentally unrealistic to expect absolute seconds of calm.
“Rishabh Pant dropping the ‘F’ in his post-match interview makes one wonder if it’s necessary to interview a captain whose team lost the game only moments ago.“, Gavaskar remarked.
The big knock highlighted the sheer exhaustion a player like Pant faces simultaneously as both a tactician and a wicketkeeper. Enduring the grueling heat while constantly running up and down the stumps naturally increases a player’s adrenaline and frustration, especially in a tight or final result. Forcing a captain to speak to an audience of millions immediately, without even a moment to address defeat, creates a volatile environment where emotional slip-ups are almost inevitable.
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A call for empathy and structural changes in IPL coverage
Gavaskar argues that the solution is simple: let the losing side breathe. Instead of holding the microphone in the face of a defeated player, broadcasters should rearrange the presentation sequence to give athletes a chance to recover.
By immediately shifting the focus to the ‘Man of the Match’ from the winning franchise, the production teams will naturally buy enough time for the losing captain to not be overwhelmed. Gavaskar suggests that even a small window of time “splash some water on his face and come to his senses” would have drastically reduced the reactive, regrettable moments on air.
Defending Pant’s character, Gavaskar noted that the left-hander is known as one of the most jovial and cheerful figures in world cricket. The fact that a natural positive like Pant has reached his breaking point should serve as a wake-up call for the IPL’s media rights holders.
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