Decoding Rishabh Pant's IPL 2025 Nightmare: How Can LSG Captain Bounce Back?

Rishabh Pant has been in dismal form [Source: @iplt20.com]

When Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) splashed a record-breaking INR 27 crore on Rishabh Pant ahead of IPL 2025, the cricketing world stood up and took notice. Everyone expected fireworks, sixes raining down and Pant finishing matches with that trademark cheeky grin. but reality has been far from the dream.

Eight innings, just 106 runs, an average of 13.25 and a strike rate of 96.36, the numbers make for grim reading. Let’s not beat around the bush, those numbers are downright ugly for a player of his calibre.

Rishabh Pant’s IPL 2025 Numbers Tell A Worrying Tale

Here’s Rishabh Pant’s sequence of scores this season:

0, 15, 2, 2, DNB, 21, 63, 3, 0.

Only once, that 63 against Chennai Super Kings, did he show glimpses of the old Pant who bossed bowlers at will. Everywhere else, he has either been knocked over early or looked scratchy trying to force the pace.

The most alarming part? His strike rate. A batter who built his reputation smashing at 150-plus is now struggling to even tick over at a run-a-ball.

Truth be told, this isn’t about poor technique. Pant’s approach, losing shape, swinging big, taking risks has always been his identity. The problem right now is that his instincts and execution aren’t dancing to the same beat. So what is really going wrong for Rishabh Pant? And is there a way out of this rut? Let’s analyse. 

Marsh, Markram and Pooran’s Red-Hot Form Is A Double-Edged Sword

Table - Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran IPL 2025 Stats

On paper, having Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and Nicholas Pooran firing should make life easier for a middle-order batter. In reality, it’s done the opposite for Pant. The top three are gobbling up deliveries during the powerplay and early middle overs.

When Pant walks in, it’s often the 13th or 14th over with fielders spread out, bowlers settled and pressure sky-high to start hitting from ball one.

Pant’s natural game is about taking a few balls to line up bowlers before unleashing. Right now, he is being forced to skip the warm-up act and go straight into high-octane mode and it is backfiring spectacularly.

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Price Tag And Owner Pressure Weighing Heavy

Make no mistake, the INR 27 crore price tag is looming large over Pant’s head like a dark cloud. Every innings, every failure, every mistimed shot is being viewed through the lens of that massive cheque.

Add to that LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka’s history of being "less than patient" with underperforming captains (just ask KL Rahul after 2024) and you have a pressure cooker situation.

Pant, usually the embodiment of fearless batting, looks like a man second-guessing every move, playing to survive, not to dominate. And when a player like Pant starts playing safe, you know something is not right.

Spin Web Has Caught Pant Napping

Table - Rishabh Pant IPL 2025 Stats Vs Spin

Pant’s game against pace is poetry in motion, short balls pulled with disdain, full balls lofted effortlessly. But spin? That’s where the chinks appear.

Most times this season, when Pant has walked in, it’s been during the phase when spinners rule the proceedings. The ball grips, the fielders are perfectly placed and the bowlers are happy to tie him down.

Pant loves smashing spinners but only when he is set. Coming in cold and facing turning tracks has left him stuck between gears, neither slogging nor settling.

How Rishabh Pant Can Get His Form Back?

The good news for LSG and for Pant fans is that the solution isn’t rocket science. Sometimes, you don’t need a complete overhaul. You just need to go back to what made you special.

Here is what could turn things around:

1. Promote Pant To No. 3: If Pant moves up the order, he can bat during the powerplay and face more pace with field restrictions on. Nicholas Pooran is a gun against spin and can easily handle No. 4 duties. Pant at 3 means fewer spinners, more pace and more license to play his natural game.

2. Focus on Enjoying the Game Again: Right now, Pant looks like he is carrying a mountain on his shoulders every time he walks out to bat. He needs to strip it back to basics: see ball, hit ball. When Pant bats with a free mind, he is unstoppable. When he clutters up thinking about outcomes, his game falls apart.

3. Accept Failure As Part Of The Game: Pant’s biggest weapon has always been fearlessness. He needs to accept that he will fail sometimes, maybe even spectacularly and that is alright. One good knock can turn it around completely.

4. Work on His Spin Game: Maybe not this season, but long-term, Pant has to sharpen his game against spin bowling. If he can learn to nudge and milk spinners when the big shots aren’t on, he will become even deadlier.

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