Rishabh Pant’s return to IPL 2025 hasn’t been seamless, and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) seem to find themselves in the midst of a greater batting issue. Now with 106 runs in nine matches, Pant finds himself at a bigger problem — the confusion surrounding LSG’s batting order.
In the game vs. Delhi Capitals, Pant showed up feeling his frustration as he awaited to go out to bat far too long. The frustrating part was when LSG were nicely placed at 99 for 2 and then sent Abdul Samad and David Miller ahead of Pant, who came in at 7 and quickly lost his wicket for a duck. Out of all the confusion related to his batting order has been around, this isn’t the first time LSG are question marks related to their most expensive player of all time.
Former India coach Sanjay Bangar feels the same way many of us have in recent games: Rishabh Pant needs to bat higher. Bangar clarified on Star Sports that his best batting position is when he is hitting aggressively down the ground against pace and spin at the start of the innings. So much restacking has only made it more difficult for Pant to settle in. He hasn’t given himself the opportunity to get into the rhythm and gain confidence due to all the shuffling and the need to readjust to a new spot when he is predominantly a back-foot player.
Beyond Pant, the LSG batting construct is in trouble. The top order with Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, and Nicholas Pooran have decent stability. However, the issues with the middle order are real and have exposed the inherent vulnerabilities in their batting lineup composition. There is no room for any uncertainties at this stage in a tournament like the IPL — it is about clarity of role and clarity of strategy. Not having a permanent spot for Pant is not only undermining Pant, but also adding unnecessary volume to an already overloaded lineup.
With the Mumbai Indians next on the docket, LSG need to make a course correction now. Rishabh Pant needs to have a permanent batting position, preferably at No. 4, where he can both anchor and accelerate an innings. Pant’s natural tendency is to possess ownership and create momentum — both of which can only come when he bats up the order.
LSG has made the significant investment of ₹27 crore in Pant, but any returns on this investment will only happen if they invest their trust in his abilities as a performer. For Pant to rediscover his magic, and for LSG to be in the hunt this season, one simple thing is needed: trust him, back him, and let him bat up the order.
