IPL 2025: Why and How has Rishabh Pant made the Worst Start to an IPL Campaign?

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After the IPL 2025 mega auction, Rishabh Pant became the highest-paid player in the history of the competition.

Switching from Delhi Capitals, Pant found a new home as Lucknow Super Giants splashed Rs 27 crore on him. But it has been a disastrous start for him in his new surroundings.

Lucknow Super Giants' new captain Rishabh Pant has endured a nightmare start with the bat in IPL 2025. In his first three matches this season, Pant has scored a mere 17 runs in total, by far the lowest three-match aggregate of his IPL career​.

Rishabh Pant in IPL 2025 (So Far)

Pant was dismissed for a six-ball duck in the first match. Batting at No.4 against his former team, he struggled against spin and lofted a catch to long-off trying to hit Kuldeep Yadav out of the park​
Against SRH, Pant got a start but managed only 15 runs off 15 balls. He struck 1 six but was caught in the deep by Mohammed Shami off Harshal Patel's bowling​.

His struggles continued as he fell for just 2 runs against the Punjab Kings. Facing Glenn Maxwell - a known nemesis who had already dismissed him twice before - Pant lasted only 5 balls.

After three matches, Pant's tally stands at 17 runs (scores of 0, 15, and 2)​ with two dismissals to spin and one to pace. Such a slow start is alarming for a player of his caliber and has put him under scrutiny as captain​.

Since his debut in the IPL, this has turned out to be Pant's worst start to an IPL season after the first three matches.

He came in as a rookie in 2016 and scored 93 runs in his first three matches in his debut season. In the 2019 season, the southpaw started the season with a blitzkrieg of 78 runs in 27 balls.

In other seasons like 2020, 2021, and 2022, Pant also had far better starts than in 2025. For instance, in 2022 (when he scored 340 runs that year), Pant typically got into double figures consistently in the first few games, even if he didn't register big fifties. No previous year came close to the drought of 17 runs in three innings that we have witnessed in 2025.

Why Rishabh Pant's IPL 2025 is His Worst So Far?

All evidence confirms that IPL 2025 is Rishabh Pant's worst start to a season in his career. His 17 runs after three matches are the lowest he has ever managed at this stage, significantly below his next-worst opening (for example, ~90+ runs in 2016 and 2018).

Moreover, Pant has usually produced at least one impactful innings in his first three games each year - be it a fifty or a quick-fire 30+ - but that "impact" innings is completely missing so far in 2025. Pant's dismissals this season also reflect uncharacteristic lapses: two soft catches off spinners and a tame loft off a seamer, whereas in previous years, he began with confidence and better shot selection. Compared to every prior IPL campaign, Pant's 2025 opening trio of scores is definitely his poorest start.

It remains to be seen if the Indian star can recover form in the coming matches, but as of now, the stats make it clear that this is an unprecedented slump for the star wicketkeeper-batsman.

What is the Problem?

Dissecting Rishabh Pant's game in IPL 2025, the glaring lack of game time is evident. Rishabh's underwhelming start to the season has a multifaceted cause.

Lack of Match Time: Pant has spent mostly on the bench coming into the IPL. The Indian star's previous outing on the field before IPL was a solitary Ranji match for Delhi in January, where he scored only 18 runs across two innings. He has not played a single limited-overs match since October and that has been glaringly evident.

Trying too Hard: Although it is only a theory, Pant has looked a bit desperate to get amongst the runs. The huge price tag in IPL may play a part, but the LSG captain has tried a bit too much theatrics at the crease early on in his innings, which has ultimately led to his downfall.

The good thing is that the season has just started. Pant has enough time to get himself back on track and shrug away this current blip.