IPL 2025: IPL 2025: Why Rishabh Pant was in tears – and what happened next

Dubai: Rishabh Pant sat in the dugout, head bowed, eyes welling up. Moments earlier, the Rs270 million man had played a reckless reverse sweep and walked back to a stunned silence — a shot that summed up his IPL 2025 campaign so far.

Before the start of Indian Premier League Season 18, Pant was seen as the answer to all of Lucknow Super Giants’ problems. The franchise had been missing leadership and a dependable wicketkeeper-batter after KL Rahul’s departure.

Pant was bought for a record Rs270 million at the mega auction in Jeddah. For LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka, Pant was the match-winner his team desperately lacked.

“If we wanted an Indian match-winner, there were four options available in the auction that were of that level: Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Yuzvendra Chahal. When you go into a mega auction, you’re looking for the long-term — maybe 10 years. You’re looking for a younger player, relatively speaking. You’re looking for someone who has an X-factor. Rishabh has both,” Goenka told Raj Shamani on his Figuring Out podcast.

“I casually asked them what price tag he would fetch — someone said Rs200 million, someone else said Rs250 million. Mentally, I was confident that no one would splurge Rs270 million for him,” Goenka told Ranveer Allahbadia in a podcast episode earlier this year.

Poor form and rising pressure

So far, Pant has struggled to deliver. He has managed just 110 runs at an average of 12.22 this season.

He came out to bat at No. 4 during LSG’s daunting 216-run chase against Mumbai Indians — a perfect opportunity to redeem himself. It followed a controversial decision in their previous clash against Delhi Capitals, where Pant had been sent in at No. 7, sparking confusion and visible frustration. That match had also featured a tense moment between Pant and team mentor Zaheer Khan.

However, Pant fell for a reverse sweep — a shot that has often led to his downfall — off only the second ball he faced. His shot selection drew criticism from many former players.

“He got to the crease, he picked up a boundary off the very first ball. He almost bought himself 10 balls, where he could just knock it around, pick up the singles, get a feel of the surface, and then look to cash in. But they’ll tell you, ‘Oh, that is my natural game,’ to pull out the reverse sweep,” said former South Africa skipper Shaun Pollock.

Mentor steps in after emotional exit

After his early dismissal, Pant returned to the dugout visibly emotional. Zaheer, who had appeared frustrated during the previous game, consoled the struggling captain with a pat on the leg — a gesture that helped ease speculation about friction between the two.

Pant’s troubles didn’t end there. He was fined after LSG were found guilty of a slow over-rate at the Wankhede Stadium.

Since it was the team’s second offence of the season, Pant was fined Rs2.4 million. The rest of the playing XI, including the Impact Player, were each fined either Rs600,000 or 25 per cent of their match fee — whichever is lower — as per the IPL Code of Conduct.

Still in contention

With 10 points from 10 matches, Lucknow are still in playoff contention. They face Punjab Kings on Sunday in Dharamsala — and Pant will be forgiven if he can turn the tide, resurrect the campaign, and justify his massive price tag.