The ongoing clash between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium saw Rishabh Pant coming in at No. 7, a position in which he has rarely turned up as far as the Indian Premier League is concerned. The skipper of LSG walked in to bat during the final over of the first innings on Tuesday, April 22.
Pant, who has normally been arriving at No. 3 or No. 4 during the ongoing edition, was spotted walking out to the middle after LSG’s Impact Player, Ayush Badoni, was dismissed on the fourth delivery of the innings. Fans and experts alike took to social media to express their views on various social media platforms.
Why Rishabh Pant batted so late vs Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025?
1. Pant’s lean patch of form in IPL 2025
There were loads of expectations from Pant ahead of the commencement of IPL 2025. Pant came in as the most-expensive player in the history of the IPL, being secured by the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise for a whopping amount of INR 27 crore at the two-day mega auction in Jeddah.
However, the current season has been anything but memorable for the ace wicketkeeper-batter. In eight innings so far, Pant has been able to muster only 106 runs in the 110 balls he has faced. This comes as a stark contrast to the lofty standards expected of a player of his stature.
2. Vital cameo from Abdul Samad vs RR warranted a promotion up the order
Another reason for Pant dropping down the order could be the LSG think tank wanting to test Abdul Samad up the order after a blinder of a knock against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Saturday, April 19. Samad carted the final five balls of the final over of that innings for 26 runs to provide LSG with the much-needed impetus going into the mid-innings break.
LSG ended up clinching the game by a thrilling two-run margin. With Nicholas Pooran getting dismissed for a low score, Samad was sent in in a bid to provide an outlet for quick runs. However, the promotion failed to work this time around. Samad was dismissed for 2 (8).
3. Pant’s ability to clear the ropes at the death
It is no surprise when it comes to the southpaw’s expertise of muscling the ball for fours and sixes in the fag end of the innings. Pant’s numbers in the IPL suggest just the same. Pant has come in to bat 37 times at a position of No. 5 or lower in the IPL. He strikes at a stellar 144.93 in this case.
Interestingly, his strike rate increases to 200.6 while coming in to bat between overs 16 and 20 in the IPL. However, it was not not meant to be for Pant & Co. today. David Miller and Ayush Badoni were sent in above them. While Badoni played his part with an impactful 36 (21), Miller could only score an unbeaten 14-run knock off 15 deliveries.
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