Follow UsLucknow Super Giants’ costly investment of INR 27 crore in Rishabh Pant is slowly turning into a big mistake, after the left-hander got out for a single-digit score yet again, on May 19 (Monday). The left-handed batter promoted himself to No.3 to maximise the left-right combination, only to get out for a six-ball seven against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
With that seven, Pant continued his dismal run in IPL 2025, where he’s only scored 135 runs in the season, averaging 12.27 with a strike rate of 100. Former World Cup-winning captain Aaron Finch advised the Indian batter that he should ‘go back to basics’ and trust his instincts more.
“I know what that feels like—when you’re under pressure, you grip the bat tighter, you want to prove you can still do it, still hit sixes, and compete with the top-order guys who are scoring all the runs. Sometimes, you try too hard. You need to strip it back, go back to basics, and play on instinct rather than trying to prove a point,” Finch said on Star Sports.
Pant’s decision to promote himself at No.3 has certainly caught a lot of attention, as his promotion led to an in-form Nicholas Pooran batting lower down the order. Pooran scored 45 off 26 balls, getting out in the final over of the innings.
While it was a tactical move considering the left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, the left-hander ended up only facing two deliveries from the young spinner before pace was reintroduced.
“I wouldn’t call it a tactical liability—I didn’t mind the change. There was a left-arm spinner on at the time, and Rishabh Pant, being a left-hander, was at the crease. But it just seems like he’s lacking flow and rhythm in his batting. It’s almost as if he’s not watching the ball as closely as he used to,” Finch added.
With that loss against SRH, LSG became the fifth team to be knocked out of IPL 2025, and will now play for pride, starting May 22 (Thursday) against GT.