Rishabh Pant, star India wicketkeeper-batter and the most expensive player in IPL 2025 history with a price tag of Rs 27 crore, is having an underwhelming season with just 128 runs in ten innings. His performances include five single-digit scores, one duck, and only a single half-century. In Sunday's match against the Punjab Kings, Pant came in at No. 4 following two early dismissals but managed only 18 runs off 17 balls while chasing a target of 237. LSG lost the game by 37 runs and now sit seventh on the points table with six defeats in 11 matches.
Former Australia batter Aaron Finch believes Pant should hand over the wicketkeeping role to Nicholas Pooran.
"It must be really difficult to captain a side when you're the wicketkeeper. You probably get a couple of seconds to talk to your bowler between overs, and with the stop-clock rule, that time is minimal. That can be really difficult - the bowler's plan might change ball to ball, and so might Rishabh's. You can see how animated and frustrated he is when things don't go to plan," Finch told JioStar.
"Maybe it's time he says, 'Pooran, you take the gloves. I need to get rhythm, manage plans better, and talk to my attack directly'."
The IPL 2025 has been the worst-ever season for Pant in the tournament since making his debut in 2016. In his debut season, Pant scored 198 runs in 10 matches at an average of 24.75, including one half-century.
In the ongoing season, Pant's average has been 12.80 and his strike rate has also dropped below 100 for the first time in the tournament. In 122 IPL matches, Pant has amassed 3412 runs including 19 half-centuries and a hundred at an average of 33.13.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag believes Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant should approach his role model MS Dhoni to come out of the lean patch in the IPL 2025.
"Again, he does have a mobile, all he needs to pick up the phone and call someone. If you feel you are thinking negatively, there are so many cricketers you can discuss with. Dhoni is his role model, so he should call him. It will lighten him up," Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
“I think Rishabh Pant should watch his old IPL clips where he scored runs, and that will give him confidence. Many times, we tend to forget our routines because this Rishabh Pant is totally different from the one we saw before his injury. I remember back in 2006/07, when I was struggling with runs, I was dropped from the Indian team, and then Rahul Dravid told me to go back and check my routine from the days when I used to score runs. Sometimes, when there are disturbances in the routine, it affects the runs," he added.