Rishabh Pant ordered to take indefinite BREAK from cricket

Rishabh Pant’s IPL 2025 campaign has turned into a nightmare, and former India captain Kris Srikkanth slammed the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain’s clueless batting. As the LSG crashed out of the IPL 2025 playoffs race, all eyes turned to their underperforming captain.

Pant was roped in by the Lucknow Super Giants for a staggering INR 27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction, making him the most expensive player in the league’s history, but he has emerged as the weakest link of the franchise in the tournament.

Kris Srikkanth slams Rishabh Pant’s horror IPL 2025 show

With just 135 runs from 12 matches at an abysmal average under 13 and a strike rate barely crossing 100, the left-handed batter has gone from bad to worse. In the must-win game for LSG, Pant managed just seven runs, and they lost the game by six wickets to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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This crushing defeat has not only sealed Lucknow Super Giants’ fate but also exposed Rishabh Pant’s inability to inspire with either bat or leadership. Notably, Pant kick-started his campaign with a golden duck against his former side, Delhi Capitals, and never recovered.

Now, Kris Srikkanth questioned whether Pant deserves a spot in the Playing XI at all. The former Indian chief selector believes the time has come for the struggling wicketkeeper-batter to be benched and stay away from the spotlight. Srikkanth pointed out how Pant’s decisions as captain seem messed up, and his batting has lacked intent and clarity.

Rishabh Pant seems to be playing half-hearted shots with no clarity: Kris Srikkanth

Kris Srikkanth on his YouTube channel: “Unfortunately, things are not going Rishabh Pant’s way. Even when captaining, be it bowling changes or field placements, he seems to be messing up in some form or the other. Things are not going his way. Even with the bat, he can just play freely and be bold, but he seems to be playing half-hearted shots with no clarity.”

Srikkanth even joked that Pant is inventing new ways to get out in every match, from reverse-sweeps to wild swings. Comparing it to his own playing days, Srikkanth said that he also had a reputation for unusual dismissals, but the LSG skipper’s current form is even more baffling.

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Kris Srikkanth suggests that Rishabh Pant to take a break from the game before the England tour

The former Indian chief selector further noted, “Every game he is finding new ways to get dismissed. During my playing days, I used to invent ways to get dismissed, and Pant is doing worse than me. 30 years back I was like that; today he is finding new ways to get out — reverse-sweep, reverse-paddle, swinging wildly — all of it is happening.”

He called for Pant to be given a break after a disappointing IPL 2025 season. He believes that the Indian wicketkeeper-batter needs time away to reset and focus on rebuilding. The former captain also stressed the need for LSG to strengthen their bowling attack for the next season.

Srikkanth signed off by saying, “I just want him to be left alone…they should say enough, just go and spend some time away. The season is over. Whatever they are planning for the next season — they have to change the core and bring in bowlers — they don’t have any bowlers on this team.”