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Rishabh Pant going back to pavilion during match 13 of IPL between LSG and PBKS.© BCCI
Rishabh Pant, the costliest player in the Indian Premier League history, has had a forgettable start to the 2025 season. Around four months ago, the wicketkeeper-batter scripted history at IPL 2025 auction after Lucknow Super Giants bought him for a whopping sum of INR 27 crore. Not only in the IPL auction history, but also in the entire event, this was the first time that a player was signed for such a massive salary. However, has failed to live up to the expectations of the franchise so far, returning scores of 0, 15 and 2 in his three innings in IPL 2025 so far.
Given he is also the captain of the LSG franchise and that the side has lost two of its first three matches, the troubles have only increased for Pant. Reacting to the batter's performance in his most recent outing against Punjab Kings in Lucknow, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh said that the team needs to sort out the issue.
"Rishabh Pant wasn't able to do much. His bat has been quiet. They will have to do something about him, (he is) getting out early. He has been a big shock for the team," said Harbhajan on his YouTube channel.
In the match, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opt to bowl. Nicholas Pooran top-scored with 44 off 30 as LSG posted 171 for 7 in their stipulated quota of 20 overs.
The chase was a cakewalk for PBKS, thanks to Prabhsimran Singh's 69 off 34 and captain Iyer's unbeaten 52 off 30. Nehal Wadhera's 43 not out off 25 also helped PBKS' cause as the side registered its second win in as many matches in IPL 2025.
"LSG got stuck. After losing the toss, they didn't score much runs and disappointed themselves. Nicholas Pooran played brilliantly but he was trapped by Yuzvendra Chahal. So when Pooran got out, LSG's back was pretty much broken. Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad provided some fireworks towards the end got them to a total, which was worth fighting for but very tough to defend given just how strong Punjab's batting is," said Harbhajan.
"To beat Lucknow in Lucknow shows they've played brilliant cricket. Punjab is finally resembling a team, a unit that is fighting. This team is showing traits of going all the way. Ricky Ponting is kind of a coach, who emcourages the team," he added.
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