Rishabh Pant, the standout wicketkeeper-batter for India and the highest bid in IPL 2025 at Rs 27 crore, is having a tough season. He’s managed just 128 runs in ten outings, including five scores in single digits, one duck, and only one half-century. In a recent match against Punjab Kings, Pant came in at No. 4 after two early wickets but could only score 18 off 17 balls while chasing 237. LSG ended up losing by 37 runs and sit seventh on the points table with six losses in 11 games.
Former Australia batter Aaron Finch suggested that Pant should let Nicholas Pooran take over the wicketkeeping duties. It must be really tough to captain while also keeping wickets. You only get a moment to chat with your bowler between overs, and with the stop-clock rule, that time is so short. The bowler’s plans can change quickly, and so can Rishabh’s. You can see when things aren’t working; he gets animated and frustrated, Finch said. Maybe it’s time he lets Pooran take the gloves so he can focus on getting his rhythm back and managing his bowlers directly.
This is Pant’s worst season in the IPL since he started in 2016. His rookie season saw him score 198 runs in 10 games at an average of 24.75 with one half-century. Right now, his average is down to 12.80, and his strike rate has dipped below 100 for the first time in his IPL career. Over 122 matches, he has scored 3,412 runs, with 19 half-centuries and one century at an average of 33.13.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag feels Pant should reach out to his role model, MS Dhoni, for advice on getting out of this slump. He has a phone; he can easily call someone. If he’s feeling down, there are plenty of cricketers he can talk to. Since Dhoni is his role model, he should definitely reach out to him. It could really help him, Sehwag mentioned. I think Rishabh should look at his old IPL clips when he was scoring runs; it might boost his confidence. We often forget our routines, and this Rishabh Pant is not the same as before his injury. I remember times when I struggled and was dropped from the Indian team. Rahul Dravid told me to revisit my old routine, and it made a difference. Disruptions to routine can affect performance, he added.