New Delhi: Pressure isn’t always necessarily a bad thing, for it brings the best out of some people. But for some, pressure acts as a source of their failure. Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant falls in the second category, at least that’s how he will be judged upon for his horror outing in the Indian Premier League 2025.
After bagging a record-breaking Rs 27 crore deal at the IPL mega-auctions last year and being appointed as the skipper of LSG, Pant’s life was supposed to be a bed of roses, but who would have thought that it would be full of thorns?
Even a fighter like Pant couldn’t help himself from being crushed under the weight of the mammoth price tag and the responsibility of leadership.
The talented left-handed batter showed tremendous fighting spirit and determination to defeat death and made a remarkable recovery to return to cricket, but that grit and fight have been missing from his game in IPL 2025.
Pant has failed miserably both as a batter and a leader. With their seventh loss of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday, LSG have been officially knocked out of the playoffs race.
If not for Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran, LSG’s fate would have been sealed a lot earlier. With Pant failing to fire in the middle-order, LSG, more often than not, failed to capitalise on the good starts.
Pant’s disastrous form had a ripple effect, impacting team morale and performance. Batting his own batting demons, Pant was unable to inspire and motivate the team, leading to a faltering campaign.
LSG skipper has looked a pale shadow of himself, struggling throughout the campaign and managing just 135 runs in 12 matches – his worst IPL campaign.
Change in approach, adaptability key for Pant to regain form
Former India batter Aakash Chopra feels, Pant, who he hopes learns from this season’s failure, wasted a good opportunity to stake his claim in India’s T20 squad.
“Success might teach you a few things. Failures, however, truly change your mindset — and often for good. He isn’t a regular in the Indian T20 side, so this season was crucial. A chance to make a mark, to build a strong unit,” Chopra told ‘JioHotstar’.
Chopra also said that when nothing works, may be it’s time to revisit approach and Pant needs to adapt accordingly.
“It hasn’t gone that way. His own form has been inconsistent — another lesson in itself. Does he stick to this approach in T20s or adapt? “When you’re in a bad patch, it feels like nothing works. The nights seem longer, the days even more so. That’s when you learn — and bounce back. This has been a nightmare. The good thing about nightmares is that you eventually wake up.”
Former India pacer Varun Aaron was in agreement with Chopra. He said that Pant appeared tentative in the whole campaign and must revisit his approach to regain form.
“LSG were relying on him, especially in the middle order. Except Marsh, nobody really scored. Pant looked tentative from the start and never really got going this season. It’s a sign of a player out of form,” he said.
“A prime Pant would’ve launched that shot into the stands. Today, he chipped it straight to the bowler.
“He’s a quality player and will wake up. He just needs to adjust his approach slightly. This year, he hasn’t scored behind square — bowlers aren’t letting him play those shots…”
LSG’s last two games, against the Gujarat Titans on May 22 and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 27, presents a last opportunity for Pant to get some runs under his belt and regain some confidence ahead of a big international season.
IPL 2025: Rishabh Pant’s dismal form has had a ripple effect, impacting team morale and performance of the Lucknow Super Giant players. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
