Rishabh Pant on temptation to open in IPL 2025 for LSG – India TV

Image Source : LUCKNOWIPL X Rishabh Pant was officially unveiled as the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants ahead of IPL 2025

Rishabh Pant, the new captain of the Lucknow Super Giants, admitted that there is a temptation to open the innings in IPL 2025 but didn’t want to do it just because it is a popular suggestion, given the lack of designated openers in the squad. Pant, who batted at No 3 in the T20 World Cup for India, may not be part of the T20 side as of now, but felt content with what he has been able to do in the IPL in the middle-order role, especially in his comeback season last year while leading the Delhi Capitals where he averaged 40.5 and was striking at 155.40.

“Obviously, there is a temptation to go that way [open the innings] but there is no 100 per cent clarity that should I open or stay in the middle-order. Because when you have played in the middle order for so many years and have done well, God has been kind, so you get used to it,” Pant told Sports Tak. “So I don’t want to make rash decisions like ‘let’s do it because the external noise is suggesting this’.

“For me, this is my life, it’s my career and this is something I live for and I don’t want to change that overnight. I want to think over it a bit more, discuss it further with Zak bhai [Zaheer Khan, LSG mentor] and Justin [Langer, LSG head coach] about what we can do and eventually, we will back whatever decision we take,” Pant added.

Lucknow had retained five players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction including the likes of Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi and Nicholas Pooran. LSG didn’t go after an ‘opener’ during the auction. There is Arshin Kulkarni, who made a terrific start to his List-A career recently in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. There are a couple of overseas options in Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh with Matthew Breetzke as the backup.

If Pant opens alongside Kulkarni, it could free up an overseas spot for the Super Giants to maybe play Shamar Joseph as part of the pace attack with Pooran and David Miller set to be sure-short starters in the middle. Lucknow finished at No 7 last season after making the playoffs in their first two seasons.