It is no secret Rishabh Pant has huge responsibilities on his shoulders. Roped in by Lucknow Super Giants at ₹27 crore in the auction, he is not only the most expensive player in the Indian Premier League 2025 season but also in the history of the tournament.
And the swashbuckling southpaw from Delhi has not repaid that faith as he has made a torrid start with the bat this season. Prior to Monday’s game at the iconic Eden Gardens, Pant has been in poor form scoring only 19 runs from 4 innings at a measly average of 4.75.
So, as captain, Pant took the executive decision of demoting himself from his usual number 4 spot. That seemed to be a good decision as Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh ripped apart the defending champions’ bowlers as LSG posted an imposing 238/3 in their 20 overs. Pant decided to send Abdul Samad and David Miller ahead of himself and the innings ended with the skipper not playing a single ball.
This triggered a wave of criticism on social media as many users took to X, accusing the much-loved Pant of ‘hiding’ behind the other batters.
One user wrote: “Why Rishabh Pant hiding himself to come to bat?” while another user unfairly insinsuated Pant was an imposter in the LSG lineup. He wrote: “Rishabh Pant didn’t come to bat, LSG batting line up in every match,” and attached a meme that highlighted Pant as a clown.
Another user claimed Pant’s decision to send others ahead of him meant he wasn’t a good enough T20 batsman. He wrote: “Rishabh Pant With A Price Tag Of 27 Crore, Kept Waiting At The Boundary Line. He Was Not Sent To Bat. Have Been Saying This He Is Not A T20 Batsman.”
LSG smash KKR bowlers
The defending champions KKR won the toss and skipper Ajinkya Rahane sent the opposition in to bat on a sweltering afternoon. The decision proved to backfire as openers Aiden Markram (47 off 28) and Marsh (81 off 48) gave them an explosive start, putting together adding 99 runs for the first wicket off just 62 balls.
Pooran came out at 3 after Markram’s wicket and tore apart KKR’s bowlers as he smashed an unbelievable innings of 87 from just 36 balls, which included seven fours and eight big sixes.
Pooran provided the impetus for a massive target as LSG were 95/0 after the first 10 overs before adding 143 in the last 10 overs with the West Indian southpaw leading the demolition charge.
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