Revamped Banter's Bungle: Rishabh Pant's Remark on Punjab Kings Haunts Him Amid LSG's Struggles
Rishabh Pant's Derisive Remark Towards Punjab Causes Backlash; Shreyas Iyer's PBKS Overpowers LSG Once More, Threatening Their Survival in IPL 2025.
Rishabh Pant's chirpy jibe about Punjab Kings during the IPL 2025 auction has come back to roost. The LSG skipper, who mocked PBKS' strategy, now finds himself under the pump as his side lingers near the bottom of the IPL table.
Initially, Pant was implicated in a seemingly harmless exchange, expressing his relief that Punjab didn't bid for him in an interview with Star Sports. He had quipped, "From inside, I had only one tension. That was Punjab. Their budget was so high that if you wanted, you could not do anything. They had ₹112 crore. When Shreyas joined Punjab, I was relieved that I can join LSG now."
With the passage of time, the tables have taken a drastic turn, and Pant is now left grappling with the consequences.
Punjab's Perfect Revenge: Double Trouble for LSG
Sunday, May 4 witnessed Punjab Kings exacting an undeniable response against Pant's LSG at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala. With a commanding 39 run win, Punjab notched up their second victory over Lucknow, having thrashed them by 8 wickets in the initial league stage.
Under the leadership of IPL 2024-winning captain, Shreyas Iyer, the Kings are now cruising in second place on the points table, teetering on the brink of a long-awaited playoff berth – their first in 11 years.
Conversely, Pant is left wallowing in frustration as his team's chances of qualification grow dimmer. Persistently stuck in 7th place, LSG now needs to win all their remaining matches to stand a chance of making it to the playoffs.
Pant's Performance Woes Amplify LSG's Troubles
The misery doesn't stop at the team level. Rishabh Pant himself has experienced an IPL 2025 season from the deepest pits of despair. In 10 matches, he's aggregated just 128 runs with a dismal average of 12.80 and a strike rate of 99.2.
Such dismal statistics defy logic in a tournament renowned for its explosive batting. No player with more than 55 runs this season holds a lower scoring rate than Pant, and his inability to offer stability or firepower with the bat has left LSG gasping for momentum all season.
His declining performance has ignited discussion among fans and analysts alike, particularly in the wake of his confident pre-season declarations.
The Missed Match: Ponting, Punjab, and the What-Could-Have-Been
Many predicted Punjab Kings as front-runners to sign Pant for the 2025 season, especially after the appointment of Ricky Ponting as head coach. Ponting had cultivated a close working relationship with Pant during his tenure at Delhi Capitals between 2018 and 2024.
However, instead of pursuing Pant, Punjab retained only two uncapped players – Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh – and stormed into the Jeddah auction with ₹112 crore in their war chest. Abandoning their pursuit of Pant, they made a decisive move for Shreyas Iyer, agreeing on a bid of ₹26.75 crore, the second-highest in IPL history.
The move has proven to be an unqualified success, with Shreyas leading from the front, and PBKS flourishing under his inspirational leadership.
In a season where stories unfold as much off the field as on it, Rishabh Pant's comments about Punjab Kings have provided a cautionary lesson. What began as a playful banter now appears as a misguided boast.
With the league stage approaching its climax, Punjab Kings are powering toward the playoffs, while Rishabh Pant's LSG are battling to survive. And, in a fitting turn of events, it's the team he scoffed at that has had the last laugh—at least for the time being.
- The uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman, Rishabh Pant, is grappling with the consequences of his playful banter toward Punjab Kings, as they notched up a commanding win against his team, LSG, in a rematch of their IPL 2025 encounter.
- Punjab Kings' decision to pass on bidding for Rishabh Pant during the IPL 2025 auction and instead focusing on Shreyas Iyer has proven to be a successful strategy, contributing to their current position cruising in second place on the points table.
- Despite initial relief that Punjab didn't bid for him, Rishabh Pant has faced disappointing performance woes during the IPL 2025 season with a low average and strike rate, contrasting the explosive batting standards expected in the tournament.
