Lucknow Super Giants’ captain Rishabh Pant was notably agitated during the 40th match of IPL 2025 against Delhi Capitals at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, a scene that almost escalated to physical confrontation. Pant’s frustration boiled over as his team struggled, with neither the batters nor the bowlers performing to plan. Notably, Pant was seen losing his temper at spinner Digvesh Rathi, at one point making a gesture that suggested he might slap him. In the seventh over, Rathi appealed for a review after KL Rahul missed a ball that struck his pad. The umpire’s decision was not in favour, but Digvesh insisted on using the DRS, which Pant reluctantly agreed to. The review showed the ball had pitched outside the line, resulting in a wasted review for Lucknow. Pant then jokingly raised his hand as if to slap Rathi, a moment captured in a viral video. Another video circulating shows Pant yelling at Rathi from behind the stumps, urging him to bowl his stock deliveries. This outburst is part of broader discontent, as Pant’s performance this season has been underwhelming. Coming in to bat very late in the innings, Pant faced just two balls in the last over after Ayush Badoni’s dismissal. He was dismissed for a duck by Mukesh Kumar, further adding to his season woes. Pant has managed only one half-century and a total of 106 runs in eight matches, leading to significant criticism for his poor form.