LSG bowling coach Bharat Arun has claimed that Rishabh Pant has never been intimidated by the huge price tag of INR 27 crore, and it is just a matter of an innings or so for the legendary left-hander to bounce back with the bat.
Rishabh Pant, the legendary Indian left-handed batsman, was once known as one of India’s greatest three-format cricketers. However, as the years have passed, he has struggled to maintain his form, especially in white-ball cricket, and has therefore lost his place in the Indian limited overs teams.
After his horrific accident in 2022, Pant returned to the game, ending an absence of over a year. Upon his return, his form has drastically declined, especially in white-ball formats and also in the IPL. Pant has struggled to impress with the bat as well as his captaincy, having failed his new franchise, LSG, over the last two seasons.
It’s a matter of one entry: Bharat Arun backs Rishabh Pant
India won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and Rishabh Pant was a crucial part of the tournament; However, his contributions with the bat were limited. However, Pant showed flashes of promising touch in red-ball cricket, a format he has mastered to the core.
The LSG team owner was happy and excited after acquiring Rishabh Pant even for a whopping INR 27 crores as the former DC captain became the most expensive cricketer in IPL history.
The goalkeeper has not lived up to the expectations of his high price, and many have reasoned that the price has acted more like shackles for the left-hander. However, Bharar Arun, LSG’s bowling coach, finally backed him despite his lack of form.
“I don’t think Rishabh Pant has been bogged down by the price (Rs 27) in the last two years. He beat us in the second match. It’s a matter of one innings,” said LSG bowling coach Bharat Arun.
Rishabh Pant has been deprived of runs since his arrival at LSG
Veteran batsman Rishabh Pant, 29, who was once named as one of the most skilled and well-compiled cricketers in the shortest format of the game, has been severely lacking form in the last two seasons for the IPL.
Pant has accumulated the fewest runs in the last two seasons in the IPL throughout his IPL career. He finished with just 269 runs in 2025 with a century in the last game and amassed 189 runs after eight matches this season.
Another big concern for Rishabh has been his strike rate, which has fallen massively from the 150-160 range to around 125-130 in the last few seasons after his move to the Super Giants.
After a bad run at home, LSG turns to Wankhede in search of its third victory of the season
The biggest negative for Lucknow Super Giants has been their horrible form at home. The team seriously struggled to impress at home, winning most of the matches including the last match against KKR where they failed to chase a score of 150+ despite that strong batting order.
Ending their streak of home matches, they will advance to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for their next match against Mumbai Indians, who are ninth in the points table with the most losses so far this season. The Sanjeev Goenka-owned team now sits last in the points table with four points from eight matches and a terrible net return rate.
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