'He is under most pressure': Faf du Plessis drops truth bomb on Rishabh Pant’s ₹27 crore burden

Pant, the most expensive player in IPL history at ₹27 crore, struggled in IPL 2025, averaging just 24.45 with 269 runs. Du Plessis emphasizes the weight of expectations on Pant as captain.

Rishabh Pant did not have a great season with the bat and as a captain in IPL 2025.

As the countdown to IPL 2026 starts, former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has specified the one player facing a "make-or-break" season, which is Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper Rishabh Pant. Despite becoming the most expensive player in IPL history last year with a record-shattering ₹27 crore price tag, Pant’s debut season with LSG was spoiled by inconsistency. Now, according to Du Plessis, the pressure to justify that valuation is reaching a boiling point.

The ₹27 crore "red cross"

Last season was a very poor season for the explosive Indian wicketkeeper-batter. In 13 matches in IPL 2025, Pant scored only 269 runs at an underwhelming average of 24.45.

While he did score a century, it came late in the tournament when LSG’s playoff hopes had already disappeared.

Speaking to Jio Hotstar, Du Plessis emphasised that the dual responsibility of the price tag and captaincy expectations is a heavy load to bear.

"For me, Rishabh Pant is probably the player in the IPL who is under the most pressure this season. Some guys flourish under the price tag pressure, while some don't," Du Plessis stated.

Read also: IPL 2026: This young U19 World Cup winner can be Akash Deep's replacement at KKR.

Captaincy vs performance

Du Plessis stated that a captain’s primary job is to lead with the bat to relieve pressure from the rest of the team.

For Pant, however, both his personal form and the team’s general result were lacklustre in IPL 2025.

"If he is scoring runs as a captain, it takes pressure off in the first instance. But then there is a second instance, which is the team performance overall. And last year, both of those things had big red crosses against them," he added.

Read also: 'If I was KKR...' Ravi Ashwin suggests what KKR need to do with Rinku Singh's batting order in IPL 2026.

Pant to bat at No. 3

To oppose this pressure, reports suggest that LSG is set to move Pant to Number 3 this season.

The move is designed to give him more balls to play and allow him to anchor the innings alongside Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh.

LSG will start their IPL 2026 on April 1 at the Ekana Stadium against Pant’s former team, the Delhi Capitals.

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