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Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has openly advised Rishabh Pant to refrain from following in the footsteps of MS Dhoni, stating that the young Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper “is not a finisher.” Pujara’s remarks came in the wake of Pant’s controversial self-demotion to No. 7 during LSG’s clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) in match 40 of IPL 2025 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Pant, who is going through a torrid season with the bat, shocked fans and analysts alike by sending in Abdul Samad, David Miller, and Ayush Badoni ahead of himself — a move that backfired as he fell for a two-ball duck in the final over of the innings.
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Pujara Questions Pant’s Role and Strategy
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo after the match, Cheteshwar Pujara questioned the logic behind Pant’s batting demotion and urged him to play to his natural strengths rather than imitate Dhoni’s finishing style.
“I genuinely don’t know what the thought process was. But there’s no doubt – he should be batting higher up the order. He’s trying to do what MS Dhoni does, but he’s nowhere near that level,” said Pujara.
“I still feel he’s someone who should be batting during the middle overs, between the 6th and 15th. He’s not a finisher, and he shouldn’t be doing the job of one.”
LSG’s Strategy Backfires Against Delhi Capitals
LSG posted a modest total of 159/6 after being invited to bat first by DC. Despite solid platforms set by Samad and Badoni, the innings never found a proper rhythm, especially with Pant walking in late only to perish to Mukesh Kumar in the last over.
DC chased down the total comfortably, winning the game by eight wickets with 13 balls to spare, leaving LSG with serious questions over their batting tactics and combinations.
Pant Explains Batting Order Shuffle
In the post-match presentation, Pant tried to justify his demotion, stating that the decision was tactical and aimed at exploiting the sluggish pitch.
“The idea was to capitalise. We sent Samad to capitalise on a wicket like that. After that, Miller came in and we just got stuck on the wicket,” Pant explained.
“Eventually, these are the things we’ve got to figure out and try to find our best combination going forward.”
Pant further added that Ayush Badoni was used as an Impact Substitute to bring in Mayank Yadav, the express pacer who has just returned from injury. However, his explanation left fans puzzled, as Mayank himself was already named in the Impact Player list and LSG were batting first — rendering the logic questionable.
“We are impacting Ayush, to get Mayank some game time, just trying to find ways to get him early in the season because it’s already halfway around. He came from NCA now, just trying to fit him in,” Pant added.
LSG’s Campaign on Shaky Ground
With this loss, the Lucknow Super Giants find themselves reeling at the fifth spot on the 10-team IPL 2025 points table. They now face a must-win scenario in almost every remaining game if they are to keep their playoff hopes alive.
They will next take on a resurgent Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 27 — a game that could define the course of their season. With Pant’s form under the scanner and team strategy in question, the pressure is mounting on the LSG think tank to make bold but effective decisions going forward.
