Rishabh Pant and Zaheer Khan (BCCI/IPL Photo)

NEW DELHI: The Rs 27 crore tag seems to be continuously haunting star wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. With two defeats in three matches, Lucknow Super Giants are already under fire, and Pant is bearing the brunt. The LSG captain’s repeated failures in IPL 2025—both with the bat and in leadership—have become a hot topic.
LSG have two points from three games and are sixth in the points table. Pant has scored 0 against Delhi Capitals, 15 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and 2 against Punjab Kings, and his poor form has put him under immense pressure.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has suggested that LSG find a solution as soon as possible to address their Pant conundrum. Harbhajan termed Pant a “huge shock” for the LSG side.

“Rishabh Pant wasn’t able to do much. His bat has been quiet. They will have to do something about him getting out early. He has been a big shock for the team,” he said on his YouTube channel.
Barring Nicholas Pooran’s 44 and Ayush Badoni‘s 41, LSG batters struggled in the match against Punjab Kings.
LSG were restricted to 171/7, thanks to Arshdeep Singh’s three-wicket burst, and their bowlers failed to stop Punjab Kings batters during the chase. Punjab Kings reached the target with ease in just 16.2 overs.
Half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh helped Punjab Kings secure their second consecutive victory in the competition.
“LSG got stuck. After losing the toss, they didn’t score many runs and disappointed themselves. Nicholas Pooran played brilliantly, but he was trapped by Yuzvendra Chahal. So when Pooran got out, LSG’s back was pretty much broken. Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad provided some fireworks towards the end and got them to a total that was worth fighting for, but very tough to defend given just how strong Punjab’s batting is,” added Harbhajan.