Faf du Plessis believes that Rishabh Pant would be under immense pressure, as he would have to justify his price tag of INR 27 crore, which he earned after the IPL 2025 mega-auction from the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Last season, Pant had a forgettable campaign with the bat. He finished with just 269 runs from 14 matches at an average of 24.45. In the last game, he did score a fabulous century, but his overall stats still look disappointing. LSG also struggled during the season and eventually finished at the No. 7 spot with just six wins from 14 games.
According to du Plessis, the star Indian wicketkeeper and LSG captain is going to feel the pressure of expectations after last year’s debacle.
“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 was also a part of the same discussion. The former India batter suggested that Pant and Nicholas Pooran could swap positions. Pooran had a fantastic season last time batting at No. 3, while Pant struggled in the No. 4 slot.
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“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.
