Rishabh Pant’s struggles in the IPL 2025 continued during the 40th match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Rishabh Pant, the LSG captain, was expected to play a key role in the top order but was seen visibly frustrated as the innings progressed. Abdul Samad was promoted to bat at No. 4, while David Miller and impact substitute Ayush Badoni came in ahead of Pant at No. 5 and No. 6.

Pant finally walked out to bat on the fourth ball of the 20th over after Badoni’s dismissal. Attempting a reverse hit on the last delivery of the innings, Pant was bowled out by Mukesh Kumar. Pant walked back to the dugout looking dejected, while franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen reacting with an awkward smile from the stands. Pant was seen in animated discussions with Zaheer Khan.

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This marked just the second time in his career that Pant batted at No. 7 in the IPL. The only other occasion was in IPL 2016, when he faced Punjab Kings and scored 4 not out off 3 balls. In IPL 2025, Pant has struggled with just 106 runs at an average of 13.25 and a strike rate of 96.36. His late entry in the batting order has raised questions regarding both his form and the team’s strategy moving forward.