Is There a Rift Between Rishabh Pant and the Lucknow Super Giants Management?

With the game between the Delhi Capitals and the Lucknow Super Giants done and dusted, there have been some major talking points like the knock of KL Rahul, LSG batting, Axar Patel’s captaincy, and much more. But the one topic which has been in the limelight is the way Rishabh Pant batted down the order in the match, and how he was seen having a heated argument with the management, and it was Zaheer Khan with him. Despite being the perfect No.4 batter and the side captain, Pant remained in the dugout for most of the innings and came in only for the last two balls. He was dismissed for a duck, registering yet another disappointing outing, which only added to the frustration.

Pant, signed by LSG for a whopping INR 27 crore ahead of the season, was expected to be the backbone of their middle-order. However, his delayed entry into the match raised many eyebrows. TV footage captured a visible disagreement between Pant and mentor Zaheer Khan during the later stages of LSG’s innings, hinting that it might have been a strategic decision taken by Khan and the coaching staff, one that Pant did not support. However, in the post-match presentation, Rishabh Pant said:

We knew we were 20 runs short. In Lucknow, toss played a big part. Whoever is bowling first, they get a lot of help from the wicket. We just had to stay back, we just couldn’t get it away. It always happens in Lucknow, in the second innings, the wicket gets better and batter to bat on, that’s how the game goes and you can’t be complaining. Yes, toss is playing a huge part here, but as a team, we are not looking for excuses.

Lucknow had a solid start with Aiden Markram scoring 52 off 33 and Mitchell Marsh contributing 45 off 36. But the team collapsed from 101/1 in 10.1 overs to finish at 159/6, with middle-order batters like Nicholas Pooran (9), Abdul Samad (2), and David Miller (14) failing to accelerate. Ayush Badoni chipped in with a brisk 36 off 21, but the lack of experienced batting in the death overs cost them dearly.

Rishabh Pant Scolding Digvesh Rathi in the Match

After being sidelined by the dugout for not being given a chance to bat higher up, Rishabh Pant looked visibly fuming, and it became quite evident in his reactions during the innings. During the IPL 2025 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals, Pant’s frustration peaked when spinner Digvesh Rathi made a wrong DRS call against KL Rahul. Despite Pant’s hesitation, Rathi convinced him to review the decision for an LBW against Rahul.

APNA WALA DAAL NA 😠

Rishabh Pant gets angry on Digvesh Rathi#LSGvsDC pic.twitter.com/QvsRUA1MK1

— IPL (@WatchIPLvideos) April 23, 2025

With only a few seconds remaining on the timer, Pant agreed, but the review backfired as the replay showed the ball was clearly outside off-stump. Pant was seen scolding Rathi in frustration, visibly upset about the wasted review, which added tension to the moment. The situation escalated when, later in the innings, as Rathi was being expensive with the ball, Pant shouted at him, saying, “Apne wala daal na”, urging the spinner to bowl like he used to and get wickets.

This outburst was a clear indication of the growing pressure on Pant, both as a captain and a player. The fans were not pleased with the on-field tensions between the captain and the young spinner, as it reflected poorly on the team’s morale. With Pant already under criticism for his poor batting form as he was dismissed for a duck while coming in to bat at No. 7, these moments of frustration only added fuel to the fire, and fans were left questioning his leadership and decision-making on the field.

Rishabh Pant’s Poor Form in the IPL 2025

Rishabh Pant has been facing a tough run of form in IPL 2025, and his struggles are becoming increasingly noticeable. Despite being the captain of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and one of the highest-paid players in the tournament, bought for a whopping INR 27 Crores, Pant’s performances have left fans and analysts questioning his place in the team. In the ongoing season, Pant has struggled with the bat, scoring just 106 runs in 9 innings, with an average of only 13.25. His struggles are reflected in his overall lack of consistency, as he has failed to make an impact with the bat when his team needed him the most.

What’s even more concerning is the list of players ahead of him in terms of runs in IPL 2025. Despite being a regular in the playing XI and holding the captaincy, Pant finds himself trailing behind players who don’t even bat regularly. The likes of MS Dhoni (134 runs), Naman Dhir (130 runs), Rinku Singh (135 runs), Nitish Kumar Reddy (131 runs), and Ravindra Jadeja (145 runs) have all outperformed Pant, adding to the growing frustration surrounding his form. Some of these players have had limited opportunities, yet they have managed to outperform the big names, including Pant.

Despite his immense value to the team in terms of leadership and his hefty price tag, Pant’s recent performances indicate that he could be the weak link for LSG this season. His poor batting form, coupled with his questionable captaincy decisions, has made it difficult for fans to rally behind him. The expectations were high for Pant to lead from the front, but his struggles have raised doubts about whether he can fulfill that role, particularly when his contributions have been minimal compared to the players around him.