"Rishabh Pant Has Been Asked To Open For LSG"- Harbhajan Singh Shell Shocks

Published - 28 Mar 2025, 03:36 PM | Updated - 28 Mar 2025, 04:06 PM

Rishabh Pant And Harbhajan Singh

In an explosive exposé, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has revealed that Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Zaheer Khan wants Rishabh Pant, the captain, to open the innings for the franchise alongside Mitchell Marsh. Harbhajan Singh also revealed why it hasn’t happened yet.

The most expensive player in IPL history, Rishabh Pant, was purchased by the Lucknow Super Giants for INR 27 crores during the IPL 2025 mega-auction.

LSG register their first win of IPL 2025

In a closely contested match on March 24 at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, the Delhi Capitals (DC) defeated the Lucknow Super Giants by one wicket, giving Pant a difficult start to his career. It took him six balls to score a duck.

Then, in their second game, LSG trounced SRH, but Pant only scored 15 runs in 15 balls with one six. On the other hand, Nicholas Pooran smashed 70 in 26 balls with 6 sixes and 6 fours, while Mitchell Marsh made 52 in 39 balls, adding 89 runs for the second wicket.

Harbhajan Singh reveals that LSG mentor Zaheer Khan wants Rishabh Pant to open the innings

With a top score of 116 not out against Himachal in 2018, Pant has amassed 644 runs at an average of 32.20 from 21 games as an opener in T20 cricket. With his explosive batting, Pant can completely change the course of a game, and if he starts the innings for LSG, he can take full advantage of the Powerplay overs.

It would be fascinating to observe Pant's batting position in the 2025 Indian Premier League, as he played in the middle order for his previous team, the Delhi Capitals.

Pant has not been in Good Form

In 111 IPL games, the savage southpaw batsman has amassed 3284 runs with a scorching strike rate of 148.94 and an average of 35.31.

Now, Harbhajan Singh has revealed that Zaheer Khan had asked Rishabh Pant to open the innings for LSG in IPL. But also stated that Rishabh Pant doesn’t want to do that and feels he is best in the middle order.

“Zaheer Khan told him to open the innings, but Rishabh Pant said that he is more suited to middle order. Zaheer wanted Rishabh Pant to open because if he is your best player, he gets to face the most balls. Pant shouldn’t be batting below 4 or 5. I feel that Rishabh Pant should open the innings; however, since he is the captain, he is not ready to do it,” Harbhajan Singh said on Star Sports.