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Harbhajan Singh Advocates for Rishabh Pant to Open for LSG in IPL 2025
Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has recommended that Rishabh Pant, the newly appointed captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), should assume the opening batting position in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Harbhajan believes that Pant’s aggressive batting style would be most effective if he faces the maximum number of deliveries.
Pant, who played for the Delhi Capitals (DC) from 2016 to 2024 and led the team in the previous season, was released after DC finished sixth, with seven wins and seven losses. LSG acquired Pant for a record ₹27 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 season.
In a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Harbhajan expressed his support for Pant opening the innings for LSG:
“I think he should open. No doubt, he’s got a good record at other positions. But, he could do even better as an opener. He’s got the game for it—he plays fast bowling well. He should look to bat long even after the powerplay. In this format, you want your best players to face most balls. The Orange Cap winners are always players who bat at one, two, or three. But, Pant can do it at a strike rate of 160.”
Harbhajan further elaborated on Pant’s suitability for the opening role, highlighting his experience and unconventional stroke play:
“I don’t think they would want to move [Nicholas] Pooran from three. He needs to face as many balls as possible. Same for Pant. As an opener, he can start from ball one. He is an experienced player and will make the bowlers think because he plays those unconventional strokes. I think you need a guy who can bat like that in the powerplay and then continue. I’ve heard that is what Lucknow plans to do.”
LSG is set to commence their IPL 2025 campaign against the Delhi Capitals at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Monday, March 24.
Rishabh Pant’s IPL Career at a Glance
Since his debut in 2016, Rishabh Pant has participated in 111 IPL matches, accumulating 3,284 runs at an average of 35.31 and a strike rate of 148.93. His impressive record includes one century and 18 half-centuries. Pant’s highest score, an unbeaten 128 off 63 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018, featured 15 fours and seven sixes, though it came in a losing effort. His most prolific season was in 2016, where he amassed 684 runs in 14 matches at an average of 52.61 and a strike rate of 173.60.
As Pant embarks on his new journey with LSG, fans and analysts alike will be keen to see how his batting position influences his performance and the team’s success in IPL 2025.
