Rishabh Pant is having a season to forget at Indian Premier League 2025. The southpaw, who is the costliest player in the tournament’s history, has failed to perform with the bat. In November last year, Pant was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for a record sum of Rs 27 crore. However, he has failed to live up to the expectations, facing a huge dip in his batting form. The wicketkeeper-batter has scored only 106 runs across 8 innings at an average of 13.25 this season. If this was not enough for criticism, Pant’s demotion during LSG’s IPL 2025 match vs Delhi Capitals on Tuesday increased the trouble for him.

The southpaw, who usually comes at number 4 position for LSG, came in to bat at number 7 spot against DC. The likes of Abdul Samad, David Miller and Ayush Badoni batted ahead of Pant. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter went to bat with only two balls left in the LSG innings.

The move baffled ex-India star Harbhajan Singh. The former India spinner questioned the decision and added that Pant was also left fuming over the move.

“Why did Rishabh Pant bat at No. 7? It’s beyond my thinking. Let’s try to solve it. Is Rishabh Pant batting at No. 7 justified? Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni batted ahead of him. Whose decision was it? It was either the team management’s or Pant’s. Pant, however, was furious. He was angry. Seemed as if he was told something because of which he wasn’t happy. His mood was off, too,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

“This is my opinion. Some discussion took place about Rishabh Pant, which probably made him upset. We know Pant well. He is a good kid, who respects elders and seniors. But is it right? If Pant is struggling for form, would you demote him at No. 7? He is your captain. You send him at the toss. I didn’t like it. How can a team win if its captain is unhappy?” he added.