Rishabh Pant has moved to a new Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Apart from wanting to win his first IPL trophy, Pant would also like to have an all-time great 2025 season and make his way into the India cricket team.
Where should Rishabh Pant bat in IPL 2025?
In the last 9 months, Sanju Samson has become the India cricket team’s main wicketkeeper in T20Is. With the 2026 T20 World Cup less than 1 year away, Pant would want to replace Samson. However, there is a catch.
Unlike Samson, Pant doesn’t open. And right now, there aren’t many slots up for grabs. Should Pant, therefore, try to open for LSG in IPL 2025? Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra doesn’t think so.
“Where he (Pant) would bat would be a question. There are a lot of discussions that he would open as keepers are batting there. You don’t have to compete with Sanju. You have to make your own place properly. I would say there is no need to bat above No. 3 or No. 4. If you get a great start, come at No. 3, or else keep all three left-handers at four, five, and six, and hit everyone,” Aakash said on his YouTube channel.
What Pant needs to do at LSG
The opener spots for the T20 World Cup 2026 have heavy competition. Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal all are contending for it. Pant should instead prove himself lower down the order and grab that number five spot in India’s T20I team, which isn’t exactly confirmed.
“There are two things. Firstly, take the team forward. Then you get recognised more as a captain. Secondly, if you score runs, you return to India reckoning. I am still not convinced that the T20 team playing currently will play next year as well. The T20 selections are going to be very dynamic,” he added.
Pant’s focus should be on doing well with LSG as captain and player. That way he can show that he’s invaluable as a leader and destructive batter in the side, who has almost a decade of experience in T20 cricket.
“So this IPL will play a huge role in terms of who is moving forward and able to make his place again. So I see a huge opportunity for Rishabh Pant as a captain with a new franchise and as a batter,” Aakash concluded.
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