Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant faced severe backlash for batting as low as No. 7 during his team’s IPL 2025 match against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (April 22).
The southpaw bagged a two-ball duck after coming into bat in the final over of LSG’s innings. The likes of Abdul Samad, David Miller and Impact Sub Ayush Badoni batted ahead of Pant, much to the shock of the fans and experts.
The move also baffled former India spinner Harbhajan Singh. He didn’t only question it but also claim that Pant was left fuming over the move.
"Why did Rishabh Pant bat at No. 7? It's beyond my thinking. Let's try to solve it. Is Rishabh Pant batting at No. 7 justified? Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni batted ahead of him. Whose decision was it? It was either the team management's or Pant's. Pant, however, was furious. He was angry. Seemed as if he was told something because of which he wasn't happy. His mood was off, too," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
"This is my opinion. Some discussion took place about Rishabh Pant, which probably made him upset. We know Pant well. He is a good kid, who respects elders and seniors. But is it right? If Pant is struggling for form, would you demote him at No. 7? He is your captain. You send him at the toss. I didn't like it. How can a team win if its captain is unhappy?" he added.
After his team’s eight-wicket defeat, Pant addressed the decision and said that the idea was for Samad to capitalize on the track, where the ball was slightly gripping in the first innings.
"The idea was to capitalise. We sent Samad to capitalise on a wicket like that. After that, Miller came in and we just got stuck on the wicket. Eventually, these are the things we’ve got to figure out and try to find our best combination going forward," Pant had said at the post-match presentation.
Furthermore, LSG captain explained that Badoni was being used as an Impact Sub to accommodate tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav in the line-up. His reasoning did not make much sense as the hosts were batting first and Mayank himself was named in the Impact Player list.
"We are impacting Ayush, to get Mayank some game time, just trying to find ways to get him early in the season because it's already halfway around. He came from NCA now, just trying to fit him in," he remarked.
Rishabh Pant has failed to do justice with his whopping price tag in the ongoing IPL. The wicketkeeper-batter, who was signed for a record sum of INR 27 crore in the mega auction last November, has amassed only 106 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 96.36, showcasing his minimal impact this season.
Lucknow Super Giants are currently reeling at the sixth spot on the 10-team points table. They will next face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (April 27).
