Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis believes that Rishabh Pant will face significant pressure heading into the upcoming Indian Premier League season. The wicketkeeper-batter became the most expensive player in the league’s history when the Lucknow Super Giants secured him for ₹27 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Pant endured a difficult IPL campaign last year, failing to produce the kind of performances expected from a marquee signing. The left-hander managed just 269 runs in 14 matches at an average of 24.45. Although he ended the season with a brilliant century in the final league game, his overall numbers reflected a disappointing run with the bat.
It wasn’t just Pant who struggled. Lucknow Super Giants also had a challenging season, finishing seventh on the points table with only six wins from their 14 league matches. Speaking during a discussion on Star Sports, Faf du Plessis said Pant could be the player under the most scrutiny this season because of the massive expectations attached to his price tag.
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“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 pressure, and some guys don’t,” Faf du Plessis explained.
“The last season for him was a really tough one. The team struggled, and his runs also struggled; the way he batted. So there is all that pressure when he comes into this season and the expectations around what the team is going to do,” he added.
Former India batter Suresh Raina also weighed in on the discussion and suggested that Lucknow could benefit from a change in the batting order. He proposed that Pant should move up the order to give him more time at the crease. Raina recommended promoting Pant to No. 3 while pushing Nicholas Pooran to No. 4, considering Pooran enjoyed an outstanding season last year batting at No. 3.
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“If four batters get out, there is a sort of commotion down the order. When chasing big totals like 210 or 220, they might need to tweak things a little,” Suresh Raina said.
He also highlighted the importance of balance in the middle order, mentioning players like Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni and all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed as key options for Lucknow as they aim to bounce back strongly in the new season.
