The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) paid ₹27 crore for Rishabh Pant in the IPL 2025 auction; now that has generated some serious debate. Pant's pedigree as a dynamic wicketkeeper-batter is an established reputation - but how much kick would LSG get for that sort of money for his showing so far this season?

Pant Batting Performance and Stats

In 9 matches, Pant has accumulated 106 runs at an average of 13.25 and a strike rate of 96.36 from 110 balls! For a player of his ability and value, this is pretty pathetic. He's probably getting out for low scores far too often, and with a highest score probably below 50 (clearly, he has no 100 or 50). From a T20 perspective, a strike rate of under 100 is pitiful and indicates that he is not aggressive enough when it really matters. This is a million miles away from his IPL 2018 best (684 runs, 52.61 average, 170+ strike rate). Personally, I believe it is a period of rustiness after a long absence from the game or adjusting to LSG's setup from a batting perspective. Regardless, the output is certainly not reflective of the value for money spent thus far (if it continues).

Cost-Per-Run Analysis: Based on the ₹27 crore price tag for 106 runs overall, the cost per run is mind-boggling. It sounds outlandish, but the formula for calculation would be to divide the price by runs: ₹27,00,00,000 ÷ 106 = ₹25,47,169 per run on average, which is complete madness. This is unfathomable when LSG has retained players in the auction, such as Nicholas Pooran (₹21 crore), who have produced significantly higher run totals historically, making Pant's current par performance a huge gamble financially.

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Pant Captaincy Assessment

Pant’s captaincy has been described as “okayish,” with the LSG's bowlers Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, and Shardul Thakur being the ones who won the matches. With injuries to fast bowlers Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan restricting resources, LSG managed to win matches, including a nail-biter of a finish with a win over Rajasthan Royals by 2 runs with a fantastic bowling performance from Avesh Khan of 3/37. The strategic thinking was hit and miss with match and bowler strategies as well as other rotations of bowlers that receive criticism for unclear thinking. The captaincy style has been proactive using communication; however, the style has not translated into team or individual performance, as noted in the mid-table position of LSG. While he could have learned key parts of captaincy during his time as captain of Delhi Capitals, the contributions from the bowler have been far stronger than the leadership elements from Pant. 

In the first game against Delhi Capital, LSG scored 209 in a loss by one wicket, where Pant put too much faith in Ravi Bishnoi, who conceded 17 runs in the 18th over. Against DC, once again batting at No. 7, Pant was out for a duck and was criticized by Anil Kumble and Mark Boucher - the use of bowler resources was glaringly absent. After losing fast bowlers Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan, LSG was fighting with game resources to use Avesh Khan and succumbed to using Ravi Bishnoi, who took 7 wickets alone in T20 existence, and Shardul Thakur, who is able to cover for mistakes by Pant (using overs of Shardul). The utilization of Bishnoi spin and Thakur death bowling has played a big role​, masking Pant’s occasional lapses.

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Was It a Blunder?

With Pant's overall 106 runs at exorbitant costs-per-run value and as a not very effective captain, it begs the question whether LSG have effectively wasted ₹27 crore on a player who is 'passing' as a player. There is potential for a significantly better return on investment based on Pant's previous records, but only if he returns to playing at his previous level. LSG’s gamble hinges on Pant rediscovering his explosive batting to justify the price tag.