Rishabh Pant's rusty form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 continued in the clash between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Ekana Cricket stadium on May 19. Acquired for a record sum of Rs 27 crore, the expectations surrounding Rishabh Pant's performance were understandably high. However, thus far, the tournament has been fraught with difficulties for the left-handed batsman.
Sanjiv Goenka displeased with Rishabh Pant's dismissal
Across twelve matches, Rishabh Pant has managed to accumulate a mere 128 runs, and his strike rate has alarmingly remained below the 100 mark. This underwhelming form persisted in the ongoing encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he was dismissed for a paltry 7 runs off 6 balls. While Pant himself displayed frustration at his dismissal, his performance also elicited a strong reaction from another quarter.
Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of Lucknow Super Giants, was visibly displeased as he watched the proceedings from the stands. Goenka was spotted angrily walking off the stands and storming into the dressing room.
Pant's dismissal seemed to be the tipping point, as the owner, reaching a breaking point, turned and left the stands. Having invested a whopping amount of Rs 27 crore in Pant, Goenka has witnessed his team facing potential elimination from the tournament, while his highest-paid player has failed to deliver impactful performances.
In the match against SRH, the stage appeared set for a Pant's comeback. When he came to the crease, the opening pair of Mitch Marsh and Aiden Markram had established a strong foundation with a partnership of 115 runs, providing Pant with the ideal opportunity to unleash aggressive shots. However, he was unable to capitalise on this platform. So far in the IPL season, Pant has only registered one score above fifty runs, and even that came in a match where his team ultimately faced defeat against CSK. His next highest score stands at just 18 runs, and his scores have frequently fallen into single digits.
Watch the video herer:
LSG's Playing XI
Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Digvesh Singh Rathi, William ORourke
Lucknow Super Giants Impact Subs: Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmad, M Siddharth, Shardul Thakur, David Miller
SRH's Playing XI
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga
Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs: Mohammad Shami, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Abhinav Manohar, Simarjeet Singh