There was a huge hype around Rishabh Pant when he was signed by LSG for a whooping 27 Crores. DC didn’t retain him before the mega auction and didn’t show that much interest in getting back in team. Rishabh Pant has had a torrid run with the bat in hand & also the captaincy hasn’t been productive with LSG knocked out of playoff race after defeat against SRH.
LSG’s performance has been quite topsy-turvy. The chunk of the scoring has been done by Mitchell Marsh (443 runs), Aiden Markram (409 runs) & Nicholas Pooran (455 runs). The trio gave their all and took the score to 205-7 with Marsh’s 65 run knock & Markram’s 61Â & Pooran’s 45 run blitz; yet still SRH chased down the target of 206 runs with ease.
Rishabh Pant’s lacklustre form
Rishabh Pant scored 135 runs in 12 matches so far with an average of 12.27 and a strike rate of 100. It clearly looks like that the burden of captaincy has taken a toll on Pant’s attacking game. Rishabh Pant came to bat at no.3 position and got out while scoring 7 runs in 6 balls. It would sound a bit harsh but LSG skipper’s batting positions have been changed quite drastically by management or by the batter himself which is quite a mystery.
Magnificent Malinga! 🪽😮
Athleticism on display from Eshan Malinga as he grabs a stunner to send back Rishabh Pant! 👌#LSG 133/2 after 13 overs.
Updates â–¶ https://t.co/GNnZh90u7T#TATAIPL | #LSGvSRH | @SunRisers pic.twitter.com/5rSouA8Kw0
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 19, 2025
Rishabh Pant has only smashed a solitary half century (63 runs) & that was the only score beyond 27 till now & that knock came against CSK. The batter seems in two minds whether to attack or defend which hasn’t benefited the team that much. LSG have lost 7 matches out of 5 and are languishing at 7th position in points table
Curious Case of Rishabh Pant
LSG’s management would be thinking to relieve Pant from captaincy duties for the next season. LSG franchise is quite a bit result oriented one not that much process one we can say. The way KL Rahul was released by LSG after failing to reach playoffs in 2024; despite the fact that under KL Rahul’s captaincy the side reached playoffs twice but couldn’t win the championship.
If we look at Rishabh Pant’s T20s which are as below. We might clearly notice, that he hasn’t been one of the finest T20 batter despite; undoubtedly he has played blistering knocks but not that consistently which is needed given in T20 format, a long rope isn’t given.
The same Rishabh Pant in whites has been a force to reckon with. It’s quite puzzling to see that with the same batting technique Pant decimates the opposition in Test cricket. We can say Rishabh Pant is a generational talent as succeeding in red ball cricket takes years but he looks quite suited to it.
Questions aplenty for LSG & Rishabh Pant
It won’t be a bad idea if Rishabh Pant plays as a proper wicket-keeper batter. That might bring the best out of him. Rishabh Pant led DC to the playoffs in the 2021 edition, but in the 2022 (*5th place in points table) & 2024 (*6th place in points table) editions, the performance was not so promising.
With LSG’s next two matches against GT & RCB and now LSG skipper would be aiming to play some handy cameos/ productive knocks. The problem with LSG is that they don’t have a quality especially a rising star Indian player who can replace Pant as a skipper in future. There are many questions but LSG as of now, need to go back to the drawing board and find a leader who can win them IPL.
Also Read:Â LSG vs SRH : Records Galore After SRH Win A Nail Bitter