The trajectory of Rishabh Pant’s Indian Premier League (IPL) career has been bemusing. From 2016 to 2019, the wicketkeeper was perhaps the most destructive and innovative batter in the league. Post that, he lost that identity and has failed to adopt a new one.
Rishabh Pant’s loss of identity as a batter
From 2017 to 2019, he struck at over 160 each year. That isn’t even common nowadays. Since 2020, he hasn’t done that even once. Is he an anchor now? Numbers don’t suggest that. Unlike Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, or Virat Kohli, he doesn’t average over 45.
The frustration around Pant reached its highest last season. Joining the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he scored 269 runs in 13 innings. He didn’t even average 25 and struck under 135. That continued in IPL 2026, where, for some reason, he opened the batting instead of Aiden Markram.
That move backfired. So, he returned to number three against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), his favourite opposition in the IPL. And it worked, to some extent. After LSG bowlers restricted SRH to just 156, the chase should’ve been fairly straightforward.
Rishabh Pant batting record vs SRH
- Innings: 19
- Runs: 626
- Average: 44.71
- Strike Rate: 143.24
- 100s: 1
- 50s: 1
Not flawless, but enough
The surface wasn’t helping the bowlers as it did in the first innings. LSG started that way as well. The score was 36/1 in 4.4 overs when Pant entered the middle. Markram exploded, scoring 45 (26). That run rate was 8.50 after 9 overs. LSG were easing towards a comfortable victory. But Pant was struggling; he was 16 (16).
But there wasn’t any worry. The target, 157, was well within the limits. He started to find some boundaries as well. However, LSG started to lose their way as Harsh Dubey and Shivang Kumar took 3 wickets. On the last ball of the 18th over, Pant also reached his fifty. It came from 43 balls.
If one was watching the match, it was clear that Pant’s inability to score quickly forced others to up the ante. Markram, Nicholas Pooran, and Ayush Badoni were all trying to get the match over quickly to boost the net run rate. And had to over attack because Pant was struggling on the other end.
But he stuck around. And that’s what got LSG the win in the end. With 9 needed off the last over, he struck 3 fours to get his team across the line. By no means was it a flawless knock, but perhaps it’s what LSG and Pant needed. Maybe this will unleash his true self going forward.
