Historically, Pant has mostly batted at No.4 or 5 in the league and has done a decent job.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bought Rishabh Pant for a whopping INR 27 crores during the IPL 2025 auction. They were desperate to get him and eventually grabbed him, even after Delhi Capitals (DC) used the Right To Match (RTM) card.
Now that LSG have shelled out a massive amount on him, they want to extract the most from him. The key question will be his batting position in this LSG setup.
Historically, Pant has mostly batted at No.4 or 5 in the league and has done a decent job. However, given his superior talent, he hasnโt had the success he should have.
Hence, LSG should give him a new batting position and let him open the innings. At the top, Rishabh will more likely succeed for numerous reasons.
He is powerful against pace and can negotiate the new-ball effect aggressively while utilising the field restrictions. His aerial shots will have more value when only two fielders are at the boundary ropes, allowing Rishabh to play more freely.
During the T20 World Cup 2024, India used Rishabh Pant at No.3 for the same reason. The more balls he faces, the better returns he provides.
If he bats in the middle order, his struggles vs spin become more pronounced, but during the field restrictions, he will at least get some reward for taking risks. From the U-19 days, his best has come while opening the innings in white-ball cricket.
Given other options in LSGโs squad, Pant can solve too many problems by opening the innings. It will allow them to bat Nicholas Pooran at No.4 as a spin-hitter, followed by Ayush Badoni and David Miller, pace-hitters at No.5 and 6.
One of the most notable buys by Lucknow Super Giants during the IPL 2025 auction was Yuvraj Chaudhary. Yuvraj has been making waves in the domestic arena with his hard-hitting and is known for hitting big sixes.
He has a quick bat speed and a nice swing, which help him play big shots. He is powerful against pace, can thwack them easily and has shots vs spin to clear the ground easily.
He hit the most sixes (21) in the first round of Ranji Trophy 2024/25, showing his batting prowess. Further, he was the leading run-scorer of the Uttrakhand Premier League (UPL), hitting 322 runs at an average of 80.50 and a strike rate of 192.81 in five innings, including 27 sixes, the most in the competition.
His natural batting position is at the top, where he can play freely and provide a brisk start to his team. His partnership with Rishabh will make LSGโs opening partnership one of the most dominant in the competition.
While opening the innings for Uttrakhand, Yuvraj scored 123 runs in 60 deliveries, with the help of nine boundaries and 11 maximums, at a strike rate of 205 against Karnataka in the opening fixture of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Clearly, he enjoys playing at the top.
He and Pant will be serious threats to the opponent from the top and provide a solid base for batters to follow. LSG should be wise enough to let these two open for the initial part of the tournament and see how they go with their approach.
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