Former RCB and CSK batter Faf du Plessis has weighed in on Rishabh Pant’s struggles to establish himself as a consistent match-winner in the IPL. Pant burst onto the scene with fearless strokeplay and quickly built a reputation as a game-changer, but his returns over the past few seasons haven’t matched that early promise. Inconsistency with the bat, coupled with the weight of expectations, has dented his standing. The pressure only intensified after he was snapped up for a staggering INR 27 crore ahead of IPL 2025 by Lucknow Super Giants. However, his first season with the franchise didn’t quite live up to the billing. Pant managed 269 runs overall, but a significant chunk, 118 unbeaten, came in a single innings, while his strike rate of 133.17 failed to make the kind of impact expected from a player of his calibre.
Du Plessis offered a candid assessment of Pant’s approach, pointing out that his game, even in Test cricket, can appear scattered from the outside. However, he suggested there is likely a clear thought process behind it. He added that the same pattern carries into T20s, where Pant’s challenge lies in refining that method into a more dependable blueprint, one that allows him to deliver consistent performances rather than fluctuating between extremes.
“Even in his method in Test cricket, it looks all over the place. But there must be something in his head that says this is the blueprint I want to play with in Test cricket. It’s the same in T20 cricket. Just figuring out what your game plan looks like to give yourself the best chance of not being a 1 or 2 out of 10 player and instead be a 60 to 70% player, where you can have consistency,” Du Plessis said on JioStar.
The former Proteas skipper further explained that Rishabh Pant’s biggest challenge might be the sheer number of options he tries to access at the crease. While that range makes him dangerous, it can also lead to a lack of control. He pointed out that top T20 batters usually have a clear plan, knowing their scoring areas and how to manage their limitations. With Pant, however, the approach can feel rushed and uncertain, as if he’s always pushing the limits.
“It boils down to him having too many options in his head. It feels like he can score a six off every ball in every part of the ground. But you still need a method even for T20 batting. With the great T20 players, you have an idea of where they are going to score their boundaries and how they’ll work around their weaknesses. But with Pant, you feel like he’s always on the edge. You feel like he can get out at any stage, and it’s almost frantic at some stages,” he added.
“Why is there such an obsession with Rishabh Pant?”
Wrapping up his assessment, Du Plessis also questioned the intense demand for Rishabh Pant in IPL auctions despite his modest T20 numbers. He pointed out that in an era where teams rely heavily on data and detailed analysis, the continued scramble to sign Pant stands out.
“You look at players like Pant in the auction and ask why there is such a big craze over someone like him if the game of T20 has evolved so much in terms of numbers from the analysts and coaches who are highly detailed on numbers. If you look at his T20 numbers, it’s not that great. So why is there such an obsession with him? Even in the previous auction, everyone wanted him in their team,” he concluded.
