‘He has that kind of personality, wouldn't relate it to…': Rishabh Pant backed despite flop show in IPL 2025

Despite becoming the most expensive player in the history of the IPL after he received INR 27 crore from Lucknow Super Giants in the 2025 auction, Rishabh Pant has had a tough life to start at the helm of his new franchise. In 10 matches, Pant has only scored 110 runs, averaging 12.22 at a strike rate of just 98.

The criticism of Pant has come thick and fast, especially after he fell off just his second delivery against Mumbai Indians with an awkward reverse-sweep that went straight to a fielder. With the weight of captaincy at a new franchise also on his shoulders, Pant has been under pressure, but received backing from Zaheer Khan, who serves as mentor in the LSG camp,

“I wouldn’t relate it to anything like that. He is a leader, and he has been fantastic as a leader; that’s something which I can vouch for," said Zaheer in the post-match press conference after their 54-run loss to MI.

“As a leader, he is ticking all the boxes. As a batter, the middle-order is dependent on Rishabh and I am very confident that the impact which we want from him will come,” said Zaheer. “It’s just about something clicking.”

Zaheer shared a dressing room with Pant when he was captain of the Delhi Daredevils in 2016. Having known him since his IPL debut, Zaheer backed Pant to find the confidence to dig himself out of this massive slump.

“I wouldn’t relate it to pressure. You have seen that he (has that) kind of personality… what happened in the last game is something which is gone by. What’s going to happen (next), he is a very optimistic and a positive personality so from our side, it’s just about continuing with that.”

Zaheer asks team to focus in back-end of season

Pant has also been criticised on occasion for choosing not to bat for LSG, instead promoting players from lower down the order. While he has been asked to show more responsibility, his poor form with the bat has raised plenty of concerns. However, from a captaincy front, Zaheer sees Pant as the go-to option.

“When you’re talking about a team, you’re talking about winning the tournament. We’ve identified Rishabh as that leader who is going to take this team forward so there is no doubt about that," he said.

LSG go into their last four games of the season with a solid chance at making the playoffs, with 5 wins and 5 losses thus far in the season. However, with two timid losses in a row, the pressure is on them to find some momentum. Zaheer placed his faith in the match-winners in the team to accomplish that.

“We know that in the back-end of the tournament now, the pressure is going to be high, so that’s the focus and it’s about finding that one innings, that is something for anyone, I always say," said Zaheer.

LSG’s next match after a week’s break will see them travel to Dharamsala to face fellow playoff hopefuls Punjab Kings.