• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Ticking All The Boxes Lsg Mentor Zaheer Khan Backs Rishabh Pant Amid Criticism

"Ticking All The Boxes" LSG Mentor Zaheer Khan Backs Rishabh Pant Amid Criticism

Rajgeeta Yadav

Zaheer Khan backs Rishabh Pant [Source: AP Photos]Zaheer Khan backs Rishabh Pant [Source: AP Photos]

On April 27, Mumbai Indians (MI) grabbed their fifth win of the IPL 2025 season by beating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 55 runs. Even though LSG started well, they couldn’t keep up, as MI’s bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, bowled brilliantly.

Rishabh Pant has been doing a great job as LSG’s captain, but with the bat, he’s struggling big time this season. Lucknow Super Giants’ mentor, Zaheer Khan, feels Pant just needs something to click to get back in form.

Pant’s performance with the bat has been disappointing. In 10 matches, he scored only 110 runs, hitting single-digit scores six times. His only good knock was a 63-run innings against Chennai Super Kings. In the latest match against MI, Pant got out for just 4 runs while trying a reverse sweep shot against part-time spinner Will Jacks.

LSG Mentor Backs Rishabh Pant

After the match, Zaheer Khan spoke about Pant’s form. He brushed off the idea that Pant is struggling because of the pressure of his huge ₹27 crore price tag, the highest ever in IPL auction history. He said, 

“I wouldn't relate it to anything like that. He is a leader and he has been fantastic as a leader, that's something which I can vouch for."

"The kind of efforts he has been taking to make sure that each and every individual in that group is comfortable, is heard (out) and the planning to everything which goes around in IPL has been spot on," he added.

Zaheer added that while Pant has done well as a leader, the team needs him to fire with the bat too.

“As a leader, he is ticking all the boxes. As a batter, the middle-order is dependent on Rishabh and I am very confident that the impact which we want from him will come. It's just about something clicking,” Zaheer said.

“We know that in the back-end of the tournament now, the pressure is going to be high, so that's the focus and it's about finding that one innings, that is something for anyone, I always say,” he concluded.

Rishabh Pant's Poor Form In IPL 2025

In 10 matches this IPL season, Pant has scored just 110 runs at an average of 12.22 and a strike rate of 98.21. His individual scores so far are: 0, 15, 2, 2, 21, 63, 3, 0, and 4.

After losing to Mumbai Indians, LSG stays at sixth place in the IPL 2025 points table. Their next match is against Punjab Kings on Sunday, May 4, at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.