Lucknow Super Giants broke records by signing Pant for INR 27 crore as the most expensive player in IPL history, with each run from his bat this season costing the franchise INR 17 Lakhs.
Flamboyance, attitude and carefree – three adjectives that perfectly describe Rishabh Pant and his personality. Whether you love him or hate him, it’s impossible to ignore Pant, the man who has become the latest poster boy of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
As the IPL 2025 mega auction concluded last year, little did the fans of cricket’s richest league imagine that spending a record-breaking fee of INR 27 crore would become the preliminary reason behind Lucknow Super Giants’ unexpected elimination from the T20 league. Pant shattered all records as the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise burnt a deep hole in their pocket to avail the wicket-keeper batter’s services.
With the 18th edition of the IPL, the management decided to hand over the captaincy responsibility to Rishabh Pant, hoping for a season better than all their previous ones.
Low Confidence, Lower Clarity
In the 12 matches that the Lucknow squad has played this season, Pant has had the opportunity to bat in 11 of them. Barring a lone-ranging half-century in a match against the Chennai Super Kings, which too ended with a loss, Pant couldn’t even cross the 25-run mark in the remaining 10 games. As the matches progressed, analysts and commentators questioned his on-field decisions made over the course of his match outings for LSG, one of which even saw him even come out to bat at the No. 7 spot.
The result was a golden duck, which as expected led to heavy trolling on social media. Such bizarre decisions grabbed many eyeballs and made people question his leadership ability to lead a franchise competently.
In one of the other encounters against a competing team, Pant took a bold call of demoting Nicholas Pooran, arguably the team’s most fearsome hitter, by one spot in order to allow himself to play at number 3. As many had predicted, this move didn’t produce the results the skipper anticipated, as he was dismissed without getting to a double-digit score.
As per some news reports, there were speculations of an apparent rift in the dressing room, between the support staff and captain Pant regarding certain on-field decisions. Even if they may be untrue, the lack of clarity and incessant ambiguity over the team affairs could be clearly seen throughout the IPL 2025 season.
In the 12 matches played by the costliest athlete in IPL’s long-standing history, Rishabh Pant has scored 151 runs with an abysmal batting average of 13.7. His highest score of 63 came through just 1 match and all other innings could well be termed as unforgettable.
Team Balance Affected
The fact that LSG’s spent a combined sum of INR 48 crore on acquiring the power-duo Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran played a significant role in the team’s far-sighted inability to build a lethal bowling attack. The balance of the team was hit significantly, and the entire process became skewed.
In an ideal world, it’s great to have Nicholas Pooran, David Miller, Mitchell Marsh and Rishabh Pant – all these impactful batters under one roof, but at the end of the day one must not ignore the bowling department, in order to create an impactful environment in both powerplays and death overs.
The core responsibilities of any team’s coach and management involve building a balanced squad that is capable of performing as a unit, not just individually. As the LSG management put its head into auction preparation, the balance was foundationally ignored and the entire focus was shifted towards getting Pant, no matter what cost they had to pay for it. Having already spent INR 21 crore for Pooran; Lucknow ideally shouldn’t have gone as far as INR 27 crore for Pant. But the senior staff gave in to the thought of signing probably the most coveted Indian player in the market.
The Case of INR 27 Crores
Despite assembling a star-studded formidable squad revolved around Rishabh Pant, one cannot ignore that Lucknow Super Giants has faltered under his leadership, finishing outside the top four. LSG’s misery worsened after all their hopes to make it high ended with a crushing defeat to Mumbai Indians. This loss added woes to Pant’s already-evident struggling campaign.
- Rishabh Pant had a significant dip in performance in the IPL 2025 season, as compared to IPL 2024. He had scored 446 runs from 13 matches the previous edition, at an impressive strike rate of 155.40, which included three fifties. However, this tremendous form could not be replicated during a single match also in the latest season.
- The hefty price tag that got attached to Pant’s name ever since he was on board LSG became a talking point in the cricket world. The unprecedented expectations attached to his name for the latest edition probably got the better of him, as no other cricket magnate has come close to this staggering figure.
Though money spent doesn’t directly transform into performances, a player of Pant’s calibre was expected to deliver a lot more than he has. The manner in which the 2025 season has concluded for LSG does raise major questions over the franchise’s plans for the next year, with the bosses including Pant in their plans or not.
FAQs on Rishabh Pant
1)How many runs did Rishabh Pant score in IPL 2025?
Rishabh Pant has made 151 runs in IPL 2025 from 12 matches.
2) Who is India’s vice-captain for test cricket?
Rishabh Pant has been appointed as new Vice-captain of India’s test cricket team.
3) What was Rishabh Pant’s price in IPL 2025 auction?
Lucknow Super Giants acquired Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crores in mega-auction and became the most expensive player in IPL’s history.
The post Rishabh Pant’s INR 27 Crore Gives LSG a Reality Check: Road Ahead for the Pricey Player appeared first on Sportzcraazy.
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