Rishabh Pant is not able to justify his hefty price tag of a whopping ₹27 crores for IPL 2025. The player captained the team that played nine matches, in them, he could only score double figures in three innings. Whether he opened or batted at number 7, the bat had failed him completely. Under all the pressure owing to his poor form, Pant pulled off a more shocking act on Tuesday. For the game against DC, he batted at No. 7 unlike his normal No. 4 position. Abdul Samad got pushed further up the order. This strategy didn't work since Samad was out cheaply. Then, with just two balls remaining in the innings, Pant walked in to bat and faced one ball before being dismissed on the next delivery, playing an ugly shot. That makes two ducks for him in this IPL season so far. Pant's IPL statistics are self-explanatory: 3390 runs in 120 matches at an average of 33.56 and strike rate of 146.43. He has enjoyed most of his success when batting up in the order. Match Score LSG vs DC 0 LSG vs RR 3 LSG vs CSK 63 LSG vs GT 21 LSG vs KKR — LSG vs MI 2 LSG vs PBKS 2 LSG vs SRH 15 LSG vs DC 0 Pant is not MS Dhoni, at least not on fitness and finishing power. Dhoni has earned the privileges of batting lower, because he can still deliver in crunch moments. Pant needs to spend some time at the crease to settle himself and score. To get back into form, the key is to stay longer on the crease and avoid playing shots that would only be suitable if he were in form. Also Read | Hayden disagrees with Dhoni's powerplay strategy Batting duties this season have been taken on by others like Markram, Marsh, Pooran, and Badoni. The only creditable contribution from Pant was a half-century against CSK-first, significantly not the kind he usually makes. With his talent, Pant certainly doesn't belong so low in the batting order. He is not a finisher but a sturdy middle-order player. Time is slipping fast, and the captain of LSG must step up, score big, and lead from the front-just what his team expects of him and actually needs from him.