Rishabh Pant endured a difficult day as his side Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were comprehensively beaten by Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2025. Pant had a day to forget with the bat, and appeared to be frustrated throughout the game, with visuals showing him having animated chats with members of LSG’s support staff and his players. Pant came in to bat at No. 7 and got out for a duck, and was later shown having a heated discussion with LSG mentor Zaheer Khan.
Seeing Pant unhappy, former India cricketers Anil Kumble and Suresh Raina questioned his demeanour and the way he chose to express his displeasure.
“Looking at Rishabh there, he seems frustrated with the situation. It seems like he wanted to go in early. Was it his own decision, or was it the decision of the coach Justin Langer or the mentor Zaheer Khan?” said Anil Kumble, speaking on Star Sports.
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Rishabh Pant’s delayed entry with the bat didn’t sit well with our experts, @anilkumble1074 and @ImRaina
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Raina pointed out that Pant still had to go out and captain the side for 20 overs in a low-scoring game, to which Kumble remarked on how Pant should react.
“In such a situation, you have to make peace. You have to make peace because you are the captain. You have to take it positively, and use your anger in a positive manner when you enter the field,” Kumble further stated.
Pant, who usually bats at No. 4, came in at a rather low position of No. 7, when LSG only had two balls left in their innings. Abdul Samad, David Miller and Ayush Badoni were all sent out ahead of Pant.
When he did come out to bat, Pant aggressively charged towards his first ball, swinging hard, but missed it. Pant then attempted to reverse-ramp the next ball and it ended up going onto his stumps. Pant has now managed only 106 runs after nine games, at a shockingly low strike rate of 96.
In the outfield, while fielding, Pant appeared to have several animated chats with his players, such as Digvesh Rathi and Avesh Khan.
LSG’s defeat left them fifth in the IPL 2025 points table on 10 points, but having played one more match than everyone else in the top four.
LSG were outclassed by DC, as former LSG captain KL Rahul slammed an unbeaten 42-ball 57 to guide Delhi home with more than two overs to spare. The victory took DC to 12 points, the same as table-toppers Gujarat Titans.
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