LSG, playing their season opener against DC, had gone all-in on Pant during the mega auction, securing him for a staggering Rs 27 crore, the highest bid in IPL history
Rishabh Pant (Pic: iplt20/BCCI)
Rishabh Pant’s much-anticipated debut as Lucknow Super Giants captain turned into a nightmare after he was dismissed for a six-ball duck by Kuldeep Yadav in their IPL 2025 clash against Delhi Capitals on Monday.
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Facing his former franchise, Pant failed to open his account, drawing sharp criticism from fans on social media. LSG, playing their season opener against DC, had gone all-in on Pant during the mega auction, securing him for a staggering Rs 27 crore, the highest bid in IPL history.
Rishabh Pant is one of the most disappointing wicketkeeper-batters in IPL history.
— 교수 (@OFC_Professor) March 24, 2025
•Consumed an entire over without scoring a single run.
•Recklessly lost his wicket after a miserable 0(6).
•Put immense pressure on LSG with his poor performance.#DCvsLSG #lsgvdc pic.twitter.com/F53CPJr7mq
Rishabh Pant still playing for Delhi Capitals 😭😭😭😭
— Riseup Pant (@riseup_pant17) March 24, 2025
Pooran even calmed him down before the ball but nah ! 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/zXj5znrbia
Sanjiv Goenka to rishabh pant 😂#DCvsLSG pic.twitter.com/aTXQBRVzim
— chacha (@meme_kalakar) March 24, 2025
Rishabh Pant taking revenge of KL Rahul from LSG owner.
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) March 24, 2025
LSG have paid 27 crore to Rishabh Pant for dancing behind stumps, playing cute pranks and hugging senior players like Virat and Rohit
— Abhishek ✨ (@ImAbhishek7_) March 24, 2025
However, his first outing in LSG colours fell flat as he failed to capitalise on the solid platform set by Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran.
Batting first, LSG looked dominant in the early stages, with Mitchell Marsh smashing 72 off 36 balls and Nicholas Pooran hammering 75 off just 30 deliveries. The duo powered the team to 161/2 in 13.3 overs, setting up an ideal foundation for a massive total. However, Pant’s dismissal triggered a slump in momentum.
Kuldeep Yadav, bowling a well-tossed delivery outside off, lured Pant into an ambitious lofted shot. The LSG skipper failed to get the connection right, slicing the ball off the bottom of the bat. Faf du Plessis completed a comfortable catch at long-off, sending Pant back to the pavilion without scoring.
As Pant trudged off the field, social media erupted with backlash, with fans mocking his record-breaking price tag and criticising his inability to deliver under pressure. Memes and trolls flooded various platforms, questioning whether he could justify his hefty paycheck.
Pant’s wicket marked a turning point for LSG, as their scoring rate plummeted. Four batters fell for single-digit scores, derailing the innings. It was only due to David Miller’s late 27 off 19 balls that LSG managed to scrape to 209/8 in 20 overs, a total that looked well below par given their dominant start.
With a forgettable captaincy debut behind him, all eyes will now be on Pant to see if he can redeem himself in the matches to come.
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