Lucknow Super Giants keeper Rishabh Pant spoke about the prospect of him opening in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He said that he is tempted to do so but has not taken any decision yet and will talk to the management.
Lucknow Super Giants on Monday (January 20) named Indian national cricket team batsman Rishabh Pant as the captain of the team for IPL 2025. The batsman during the auction became the most expensive purchase in the history of the league as he was bought by the franchise for ₹27 crore.
Rishabh Pant has been one of the best players in the IPL
Rishabh Pant has been one of the best players in the IPL and it is fair to say that he has played a major role in the success of Delhi Capitals, his previous team. The batsman captained the side and also took them to the playoffs with his leadership and batting.
However, Rishabh Pant will be in a different line-up this time and it will not be a surprise if he bats in the top order this time. There are chances that he might even open the innings like he did for India in the 2016 U19 World Cup and also opened in the T20I series against New Zealand after the T20 World Cup 2022 in November 2022.
Temptation toh hota hai bahut sari cheejo ka but i think abhi 100% clarity nahi hui hai – Rishabh Pant to open in IPL 2025.
While talking about opening the innings, Pant said that he will discuss the same with Zaheer Khan. He pointed out that he does not want to rush the decision on the opening because he is doing well in the middle order as well. Speaking to Sports Tak, he said:
“Temptation toh hota hai bahut sari cheejo ka but I think abhi is 100% clarity nahi hui hai. Wahi discussion mai Zak (Zaheer Khan) bhai se kar raha tha ki abhi 100% clarity ke sath nahi decide kara ki open karna hai ya middle order mai rehna hai. Because itne saal se jab aap middle order mein khel rahe hote ho aur aapne acha kara hota hai, God was kind, okay okay kar raha tha mai IPL mei.
“Toh jab itne saal se aap khel rahe hote ho toh ek certain role ke had ho jaate ho, so I don’t want to make rash decisions ki outside noise ye hai chalo hum bhi kar lete hai. Because for me it’s my life, it’s my career and this is something I live for.”
I don’t want to change it overnight – Rishabh Pant on leaving middling success and moving to the top
Pant added that he will talk with the coaching staff, and then he will do what suits the team best. He stated:
“I don’t want to change it overnight, uske barey mein aur time lekar sochna chahta hoon. Discuss karunga abhi aur Zak bhai ke sath, Justin (Langer) ke sath aur discussion karunga ki kya kar sakte hai, kya nahi kar sakte hai and then na eventually jo bhi decision hum lenge usko back karunga.”
Lucknow Super Giants are yet to win the IPL title. The management would hope that their luck will change and they will win the title under Pant.
