Rishabh Pant's woes in the ongoing IPL 2025 season continued as he couldn't make a mark in his new avatar as opener for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The team's captain, filling in for Mitchell Marsh, could only manage a paltry 21 off 18 balls against Gujarat Titans at Ekana Cricket Stadium. Though LSG chased down the 181-run target, Pant fell short yet again. Here we decode his struggles this season. Despite a new batting position, Pant was as lackluster as ever. His innings was riddled with dot balls that prevented any momentum he tried to build. He was dismissed in the seventh over trying to hit big off Prasidh Krishna, only to send a top edge straight into Washington Sundar's hands at third man. Earlier in his innings, Pant survived an easy catch chance missed by Jos Buttler but failed to make the most of this reprieve. Pant scored a duck in LSG's IPL 2025 opener against his former side Delhi Capitals. This was followed by a score of 15 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Pant managed only 2 runs each in his next two outings against Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians. Hence, the 21 versus GT is now his best score this season. Across five innings this season, he has managed just 40 runs from 50 balls at 8. During the IPL 2025 mega auction, Pant made history by becoming the most expensive player in IPL's history. He was bought by LSG for a staggering ₹27 crore. This record-breaking deal beat Shreyas Iyer's contract with Punjab Kings (PBKS) at ₹26.75 crore.