Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have cruised to wins in three out of their five Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 games so far, as they are placed fifth in the points table with six points.
At the forefront of marshalling a largely inexperienced, and an all-Indian bowling unit has been Rishabh Pant , whose captaincy has come to the forefront with LSG emerging triumphant in some close finishes off late.
While his batting in the middle has been uninspiring, Pant has made heads turn with his calm head behind the stumps, effectively guiding rookie leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi and his out-of-form counterpart Ravi Bishnoi. Rathi, who hails from Delhi and replicates Sunil Narine’s bowling action, has been a breakout star on the back of seven wickets in five encounters at an economy rate of 7.75. Pant has been often heard easing pressure off his state mate on the stump mic, asking him to focus on his line and lengths, leaving the field placements to the skipper.
“Forget about his batting. Pant has justified his Rs 27 crore price tag merely with his captaincy here,” seasoned broadcaster and former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu said, as LSG went about storming a phenomenal comeback to clinch a narrow four-run win against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Tuesday.
“Pant has done the work worth Rs 50 crore here. He’s a true leader to have inspired LSG to a victory here. He led from the front, showed his men the direction, and swayed the momentum of the game back in their favour after a minor blip,” Sidhu had added.
Going in with a foreigner-heavy batting lineup, LSG have had to make adjustments on the bowling front, going in with pacers such as Shardul Thakur, Akashdeep Singh, and Avesh Khan, with frontline speedster Mayank Yadav still out owing to injury.
In such circumstances, Pant’s leadership has been a standout factor. He has taken brave calls, bringing Shardul Thakur into the attack in the 13th over to stop an onrushing Ajinkya Rahane. Thakur started sluggishly, bowling five consecutive wides, but eventually trapped the KKR skipper at short covers owing to a smart placing of the man there by their captain.
"He might not be scoring runs, but he's worth his weight in Gold as a captain,” said Sunil Gavaskar on commentary, as the southpaw led his team to a 12-run win against LSG earlier this month.
While Pant’s swashbuckling skills have never been under doubt, so far, he has managed to make a mark on the leadership front too. “10-15 years down the line, people will speak of Rishabh in the same breath as MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma while discussing the best IPL captains,” co-owner Sanjeev Goenka had said in January.
Pant seems to be working steadfastly in that regard so far.
At the forefront of marshalling a largely inexperienced, and an all-Indian bowling unit has been Rishabh Pant , whose captaincy has come to the forefront with LSG emerging triumphant in some close finishes off late.
While his batting in the middle has been uninspiring, Pant has made heads turn with his calm head behind the stumps, effectively guiding rookie leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi and his out-of-form counterpart Ravi Bishnoi. Rathi, who hails from Delhi and replicates Sunil Narine’s bowling action, has been a breakout star on the back of seven wickets in five encounters at an economy rate of 7.75. Pant has been often heard easing pressure off his state mate on the stump mic, asking him to focus on his line and lengths, leaving the field placements to the skipper.
“Forget about his batting. Pant has justified his Rs 27 crore price tag merely with his captaincy here,” seasoned broadcaster and former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu said, as LSG went about storming a phenomenal comeback to clinch a narrow four-run win against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Tuesday.
“Pant has done the work worth Rs 50 crore here. He’s a true leader to have inspired LSG to a victory here. He led from the front, showed his men the direction, and swayed the momentum of the game back in their favour after a minor blip,” Sidhu had added.
Going in with a foreigner-heavy batting lineup, LSG have had to make adjustments on the bowling front, going in with pacers such as Shardul Thakur, Akashdeep Singh, and Avesh Khan, with frontline speedster Mayank Yadav still out owing to injury.
In such circumstances, Pant’s leadership has been a standout factor. He has taken brave calls, bringing Shardul Thakur into the attack in the 13th over to stop an onrushing Ajinkya Rahane. Thakur started sluggishly, bowling five consecutive wides, but eventually trapped the KKR skipper at short covers owing to a smart placing of the man there by their captain.
"He might not be scoring runs, but he's worth his weight in Gold as a captain,” said Sunil Gavaskar on commentary, as the southpaw led his team to a 12-run win against LSG earlier this month.
While Pant’s swashbuckling skills have never been under doubt, so far, he has managed to make a mark on the leadership front too. “10-15 years down the line, people will speak of Rishabh in the same breath as MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma while discussing the best IPL captains,” co-owner Sanjeev Goenka had said in January.
Pant seems to be working steadfastly in that regard so far.
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