Rishabh Pant, who was picked up by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 27 crore, has failed to set the stage on fire in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The left-handed batter has managed just 128 runs in 11 matches at an average of 12.80 and a strike rate of 99.22. The left-handed batter has registered just one half-century, and this, too, came in a losing cause against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Pant’s scoring rate is the slowest among all batters who have scored more than 100 runs this IPL season.
Amid these poor returns, former India batter Aakash Chopra criticised Rishabh Pant’s animated gestures, particularly his reactions during the game against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala.
LSG have three games remaining and the franchise need to win all three to keep chances alive of making it to the playoffs. A loss against SunRisers Hyderabad on Monday will make LSG the fifth team to be eliminated from the playoff contention.
The IPL 2025 which was suspended for one week due to the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, resumed on May 17. While speaking about Pant, Aakash Chopra referenced the southpaw’s mannerisms in the fixture against Punjab Kings.
“It’s also true that he was extremely animated as a captain in the last match before the IPL suspension. It seemed like he was extremely disturbed and frustrated. That’s not the captain you want, one who looks frustrated on the ground. You and I will never get to know what’s going on behind the scenes,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“One shouldn’t come to know from the captain’s face that he is angry, but the anger was visible, which is not a great thing,” he added.
Quite often, Pant has also been saving animated discussions with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka on the field after the end of IPL games. However, one doesn’t know what their chats have all been about.
The former India batter, who represented Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural season of the IPL, said there is no doubt that Pant is a good player but one cannot deny his underwhelming returns for LSG.
“My focus will once again be on Rishabh Pant. He is a good player, there is no doubt about that, but the truth is that he hasn’t done well this year,” said Chopra.
Lucknow Super Giants are currently in seventh place in the IPL 2025 points table with 10 points from 11 matches. Even victories in all three matches might not be enough for LSG to qualify as the franchise are fighting it out with Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals for one spot.
Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings have already qualified for the playoffs.
