Rishabh Pant’s 2025 IPL journey has taken a sharp downturn, and things reached a breaking point after Lucknow Super Giants were knocked out of the playoffs race on Monday.
The team’s hopes faded with yet another disappointing loss and Pant’s poor form stood out once again, both as a batter and as a leader.
The expectations were sky-high when LSG bought him for a record-breaking ₹27 crore in the mega auction. But instead of making an impact, the wicketkeeper-batter became a weak link.
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In 12 matches, Pant managed only 135 runs. His average dipped below 13, and his strike rate never quite got going either.
What did Kris Srikkanth say about Pant?
Former India opener Kris Srikkanth didn’t hold back while talking about Pant’s slump. On his YouTube channel, he expressed concern about Pant’s shot-making and also his on-field decisions as captain.
According to Srikkanth, Pant looked unsure with his moves, whether it was field placements or bowling changes. Even his batting lacked clarity. The left-hander seemed to be swinging without confidence and attempting reckless shots.
"Unfortunately, things are not going Rishabh Pant’s way. Even when captaining, be it bowling changes or field placements, he seems to be messing up in some form or the other. Things are not going his way," said Srikkanth in his YouTube channel.
"Even with the bat, he can just play freely and be bold, but he seems to be playing half-hearted shots with no clarity," he added.
Is Rishab Pant losing his natural game?
Srikkanth mentioned that Pant appears to be stuck in a loop of strange dismissals. He drew a light-hearted comparison to his own playing days and jokes that he too once invented new ways to get out, but Pant was outdoing even that with shots like reverse sweeps and wild swings.
"Every game he is finding new ways to get dismissed. During my playing days, I used to invent ways to get dismissed, and Pant is doing worse than me," said Srikkanth.
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"30 years back I was like that, today he is finding new ways to get out- reverse-sweep, reverse-paddle, swinging wildly- all of it is happening," he added.
What is Kris Srikkanth's message for Rishabh Pant?
In Srikkanth’s view, the best step now is for Pant to take some time off. He believes the LSG captain needs a complete break from cricket to recover mentally and reset before India’s next assignment.
"I just want him to be left alone…they should say enough, just go and spend some time away. The season is over," said Srikkanth.
He also suggested that LSG needs a complete rethink for the next season, especially in the bowling department.
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"Whatever they are planning for the next season, they have to change the core and bring in bowlers as they don’t have any bowlers in this team," he added.