Rishabh Pant: The T20 Cricket Star – Underachiever Or Just A Matter Of Time?

Why was Rishabh Pant not retained by Delhi Capitals despite being their star player and highest run-getter last season? He is their leading scorer ever in the IPL but was still let go ahead of the mega auctions in Jeddah in late November. Did the Capitals make a mistake? Or is there a hidden story behind the aggregate numbers for Pant in the IPL? (More Cricket News)

Pant’s best years in the IPL are behind him

Pant has an aggregate of 3284 runs in 110 IPL innings at an average of 35.3 and strike rate of 148.9 with one hundred and 18 fifties – overall, these are very impressive numbers but a deep-dive into his careers suggests that Pant’s best years in the IPL are behind him.

Pant’s golden period in the IPL was between 2017 and 2019. He was at his destructive best in this time-frame with a strike rate of above 160 in each of the three seasons. Pant scored a total of 1538 runs in 44 innings at an average of 38.4 and scoring rate of 168 in this period. He produced as many as 15 high impact performances with the bat which basically meant that Pant was making an impact with the bat every three innings during this period – that was a high consistency rate for an unconventional batter who took high risks and scored at a high pace. Pant scored a minimum of 35 runs at a rate of above 200 in seven innings and had a balls per boundary ratio of 4.1 in these three years.

2018 was Pant’s most productive season in the IPL where he aggregated 684 runs at a strike rate of 173.6 with one hundred and five fifties.

However, Pant witnessed a dramatic slump in his formin 2020 and since then has not been the same destructive batter he was in the IPL.

The dramatic fall in 2020

Pant had a shocking season in 2020. Although he had an aggregate of 343 runs, he completely lost his hitting prowess and had a scoring rate of just 114 in the edition –it was the second-lowest scoring rate amongst the 39 batters who scored a minimum of 200 runs in the season! Pant’s balls per boundary ratio rose to 7.5 and he completely lost his ability to clear the ropes hitting just nine sixes in the entire season.

2021 was marginally better though his strike rate still remained much below par at 128.5. Pant did improve his scoring rate to 151.8 in 2022 but did not produce any significant match-defining performances for the Capitals. He got starts in a few matches but could not convert his 30s and 40s into substantial match-defining scores for DC. Pant did not register any fifty in the season.

Just two high-impact performances in 2024

Pant did get back some of his lost form in 2024. He scored 446 runs in 13 innings at an average of 40.5 and strike rate of 155.4 which, when looked in absolute terms were fine returns especially for a batter who was making a comeback after a near-fatal accident. However, 2024 was a revolutionary season in the history of the IPL when bat dominated ball like never before, run-rates soared to an all-time high, there were record totals and chases and it did not rain but snowed sixes!

In the light of what transpired in the edition and what other batters achieved, Pant’s numbers, in comparison were quite ordinary.

The average strike rate for positions 4 & 5, from where Pant batted in 11 of his 13 innings in the season, was 149.3. Pant’s corresponding strike rate was 159.6 which was higher than the norm but there were as many as seven batters who scored at a faster pace than Pant from these positions.

Pant produced only two high impact performances in the season. He smashed 88 off 43 deliveries (from 44/3) against the Gujarat Titans which was his best knock in the tournament. He also hammered 55 off 25 from 27 for 3 – although there was pressure of having lost early wickets, the Capitals were chasing a daunting 273 and as such Pant had nothing to lose in the encounter. He could take risks and go after the bowling as the fate of the match was pretty much sealed in the powerplay itself.

So, Pant basically produced one high impact match-winning performance in the entire season. On the contrary, there were a number of below-par outings which adversely affected his team’s chances.

Rishab Pant’s failures with the bat in IPL 2024

Pant scored 18 off 13 deliveries from 74 for 2 (in 8 overs) against Punjab Kings. His 26 off 28 deliveries crawl from number 4 cost Capitals the match in a 186-run chase against the Royals. Pant was dismissed for just one against Mumbai Indians and failed to keep up with the run-ratedespite the great start by Jake Fraser-McGurk in the return leg.

Pant was sluggish in the 267-run chase against the Sunrisers scoring just 44 off 35 deliveries and failed to take advantage of the brilliant platform laid by Tristan Stubbs and Abhishek Porel. Pant got a start but could not convert it to a substantial score getting dismissed for 27 off 20 deliveries against Knight Riders and was a non-contributor (15 off 13 deliveries) even as DC piled on 221 against the Royals.

Pant also struggled big-time against the spinners in IPL 2024. He had a strike rate of just 119.5 against the slower bowlers which was the fourth-lowest amongst all batters who faced a minimum of 70 balls against spin in the season. In a season where batters came out all-guns blazing from the word-go, Pant was slow to get off the blocks and had a strike rate of just 120.3 off the first 10 deliveries he faced in an innings.

A poor T20I record

Pant has been a very ordinary batter for India in T20 cricket. He has scored just 1209 runs in 66 innings at an average of 23.25 and strike rate of 127.26 in the format. Amongst all Indian batters who have scored a minimum of 500 runs in international T20 cricket, Pant’s scoring rate places him as low as number 14! Pant has registered just three fifties in the format and has a high Failure Rate of 61.5%! He has barely produced five high impact performances with the bat for India in T20I cricket.

Despite his not-so-outstanding returns in the IPL in the last few seasons and a rather abysmal record for India, Pant is still seen by many cricket experts and pundits as a fine T20 batter and a match-winner in the format. The reason for this is his stunning record in red-ball cricket. Pant is already in the league of the all-time great wicket-keeper batters in the format. He is in the same mould as an Adam Gilchrist for Australia in Test cricket showcasing a unique ability to score big runs consistently at a high rate from seemingly difficult positions. Pant is a massive match-winner for India in Test cricket and has produced some breathtaking performances with the bat across the world.

Most cricket experts measure the prowess of Pant – the T20 batter with what he has achieved in Test cricket and are biased and wrong in their analysis.

Pant, while having all the attributes of succeeding in the shortest format, for various reasons, has not realised even half his potential and has massively under-achieved in T20 cricket.