The final match of the Indian Premier League, between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has gotten enough criticism for Rishabh Pant. While the player Rishabh was lauded for his comeback century, the captain Pant has been criticized, especially for withdrawing Digvesh Rathi's Mankad attempt of Jitesh Sharma. Jitesh survived two dismissals, a run-out chance and later with a no-ball call. And then came the Mankad attempt. However, after the umpires declared Jitesh "not out," Rishabh went and withdrew the appeal. It happened to be a nice sporting moment, with Jitesh pulling Rishabh in for a hug. But the real criticisms came as the fans, as well as former cricketers, pointed out Rishabh's role as a captain. Wasn't he supposed to back his players! In a recent interview with eminent sport journalist Vimal Kumar, former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin resonated the same feeling. He literally questioned Rishabh's role, fearing that it might leave a permanent mark for Digvesh, and he might not return again." Ash said, "Mayank was on strike. 8 runs needed in 2 balls. And Jitesh Sharma moved out. Mayank Agarwal completed two runs. He hit a six in the last over. This might be Digvesh Rathi’s last game. Let’s understand one thing — Digvesh Rathi is not my relative, not my friend; I don’t know him. I don’t know who he is. But I’m saying, if you scare a bowler so much by doing something like this, it will really affect him. But since nobody really cared about a bowler, his appeal was withdrawn in front of millions of people, and the appeal was insulted." Read also: Jitesh Powers RCB to Win as Rathi’s Mankad Sparks Debate Speaking about Rishabh's approach, Ash added, "But the point is, whether the captain wants to withdraw the appeal or not, let’s talk about cricket for a second: according to the laws of the game, it went upstairs (to the review system), the umpire said “not out,” so it’s not out. There was no point of withdrawal of the appeal here." https://t.co/CuYS1UoI6V pic.twitter.com/bva236QnD6 — Jaanvi🏏 (@that_shutterbug) May 28, 2025 Notably, Rathi has bagged 14 wickets, the highest for an uncapped bowler this season. He maintained a decent economy just above 8, averaging 30.64.