According to Faf du Plessis, Rishabh Pant would have tremendous pressure to defend the INR 27 crore price tag he received from the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) following the IPL 2025 mega-auction.
The batting season by Pant last season was not memorable. His average of 24.45 was in 14 games, where he only scored 269 runs. This is despite the fact that he did record an incredible century in the last game but his overall statistics is still wanting. Having gained only six wins out of 14 matches, LSG fought in the whole season and ended up at the seventh place.
Faf Du Plessis claims that following last year’s disaster, the star Indian wicketkeeper and captain of LSG will experience pressure from expectations.
“For me, he is probably the player in the IPL who’s under the most pressure this season. We always talk about the price-tag pressure. Some guys flourish under that price-tag pressure, and some guys don’t. The last season for him was a real tough season. The team struggled and his runs also struggled, the way that he batted. So there is all that pressure when he comes into this season, and the expectation on what the team is going to do,” du Plessis told Star Sports.
Get Rishabh Pant at No. 3 and play Nicholas Pooran at No. 4: Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina participated in the same conversation as well. Nicholas Pooran and Pant could switch places, according to the former India batter. While Pant struggled in the No. 4 position, Pooran had a great season batting at No. 3.
“If four batters get out, there is a sort of commotion down the order. Abdul Samad has come after winning the Ranji Trophy, but when you chase 210 or 220, I feel they will have to tweak a little there. Get Rishabh Pant at No. 3 and play Nicholas Pooran at No. 4. Abdul Samad is at No. 5, and you will have to fit Ayush Badoni in between. You have a left-arm spinner in Shahbaz Ahmed, who also bats very well,” Raina said.
