Rishabh Pant Profile, Career & Stats

The capability to hit sixes from the word go without taking time to settle has been Rishabh Pant’s success mantra and USP in the game of cricket. Pant broke into the IPL when the Delhi Daredevils, now Delhi Capitals (DC), drafted him into the team post a successful 2016 ICC U19 World Cup stint, where Pant had made a name for himself on the basis of his ultra-aggressive style of stroke play.

The Roorkee-born was the one who grabbed all the eyeballs in the IPL 2016 auction, where he was bought for INR 1.9 crore, a whopping amount of money, for a 19-year-old.

The Delhi cricketer’s first attempt to own the stage of the IPL went unsuccessful in 2016, and he managed to add only 198 runs from 10 innings in IPL 2016, but he was not to miss out for two seasons in a row and turned it around in the next edition, amassing 366 runs from 14 matches.

Meanwhile, backed by his performances in domestic as well as IPL cricket, national selectors decided to give Pant a taste of international cricket. Given that, talismanic wicketkeeper-batter, MS Dhoni, was at the fag-end of his career. He made his debut during the 2017 T20I series against England at home.

With the spark that shone during his limited IPL career, the Delhi franchise decided to retain him, handing him an INR 8 crore contract.

The stocky-built shotmaker rewarded the faith entrusted towards him with his breakthrough season, where he dominated bowlers from the word go. He smashed 684 runs from 14 matches at an average of 52.6, which would make even his fellow Delhi teammate Virat Kohli proud. 

In the subsequent IPL season in 2019, the flamboyant southpaw piled up 488 runs with an outstanding strike rate of 162.66 and backed up one great season after another for his franchise.

Eventually, the Indian management, primarily Head Coach Ravi Shastri and captain Kohli, backed his talent, and Pant was soon introduced in the longer format of the game.

Talking about his on-field charisma, Pant opened his Test account in style with a six, that too while facing Adil Rashid in his first inning at Trent Bridge in August 2018. Pant hit a six on the second ball of his Test career and became the first Indian to get off the mark in Test cricket with a six. 

In India’s last Test of the England tour in 2018, Pant scored his maiden Test century on the last day of the match, while stitching a mammoth face-saving partnership with KL Rahul. A few months later, the southpaw scored his second Test century against Australia at Sydney. 

By doing so, the charismatic lad became the only Indian wicketkeeper to score a century in England and Australia. He was rightly awarded the 2018 Emerging Player of the Year award at the ICC Awards.

The Indian number four conundrum, which might have been a reason for India's loss in the 2019 WC Semi-Final, finally led to Rishabh Pant taking up the debatable spot in the high-pressure, coveted tournament.

His tendency to give his wicket away while showboating his hitting abilities and the persistent support from the management led to Pant facing a lot of criticism and flak.

During the games against the West Indies, later in 2019, while legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni was on a sabbatical, Pant grassed a few dismissals with the gloves. To which, crowds chanted the name of Dhoni, which was not appreciated by skipper Virat Kohli.

Rohit Sharma too went public with his appeal to spare Pant facing the criticism, in an unfair comparison with a legend of the game.

Much like all, the year 2020 proved to be rather forgetful for the power-packed left-hander. His form dipped, and his 2020 IPL strike rate raised questions from all around the globe, along with his fitness issues. 

By his high standards, Pant managed only 343 runs in the 2020 edition of the IPL, striking at a mere 113. In the 2020 ODI series against Australia, Pant copped a blow to his helmet and suffered a concussion, while Rahul took over the gloves. However, Kohli and company backed Rahul for his glovework in ODIs, while preferred Wriddhiman Saha in home Tests.

Interestingly, Pant could not break into the Indian side in any of the formats and missed the away white-ball series against New Zealand in the 2019-20 season. Later in the year, he couldn't start in the ODI and the T20I series Down Under. He was benched for the first of the 4-match series in Australia. 

However, he returned to the playing XI in the 2nd Test after captain Virat Kohli headed home on paternity leave. Pant came up with some memorable performances, including game-changing knocks in the Sydney Test draw and the historic win in Brisbane.

Pant won back his place in the XI in home conditions during the four-Test series against England. He hit a counter-attacking match-winning hundred in the fourth Test against England, which sealed India's place in the World Test Championship final.  In the 2021 ODI series versus The Three Lions, Pant scored two half-centuries, stamping his authority in white-ball cricket as well.

At the start of the 2021 edition of the IPL, Shreyas Iyer was diagnosed with a severe shoulder injury and had to undergo surgery at the earliest. The Delhi Capitals think-tank made Pant the skipper of the franchise, and it paid off well as Delhi ran riot under him, winning 6 out of 8 matches, which put them at the top of the table. However, the Pant-led DC suffered a loss in Qualifier 2 at the hands of the Kolkata Knight Riders.

In IPL 2022, Pant decided to be ultra-aggressive with the bat, but the move did not work. His form took a massive hit, also affecting Delhi’s performance to a great extent, so much so that they missed out on the playoff bus.

While Pant’s T20 form continued to decline, he touched greater heights in the Test format, becoming India’s most dependable batter. He played a 146-run innings in the rescheduled fifth Test against England and followed this with another half-century in the second innings of the fixture.

His performance in ODIs also hit its peak when he smashed his maiden hundred in the format in the series-decider versus England in July 2022.

However, the dashing southpaw continued to throw away the opportunities in T20Is, eventually losing the spot in India’s starting XI for the T20 World Cup to Dinesh Karthik. Pant got to play two matches in the final stages of India’s campaign but failed to make an impact.

Enriched with international exposure and the experience of being out there in crunch situations with people best in the business when playing for the Indian international side, Pant would love to put all those to good effect for his team in the forthcoming key tournaments to help them clinch the title. 

In December 2022, he met with a horrific car accident, forcing him to undergo multiple surgeries. After recovering from his injury, Pant made a comeback in IPL 2024 and looked like his old self.

His good form in IPL 2024 was enough for the Indian selectors to pick him as the second wicketkeeper batter after Sanju Samson for the T20 World Cup 2024.

Pant played a pivotal role in India's triumphant 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, delivering several impactful performances. 

After a near-fatal car accident in December 2022, which cast shadows over his cricketing future, Pant's return to Test cricket in September 2024 was nothing short of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Facing Bangladesh, he crafted a scintillating 109 off 128 balls, equalling Mahendra Singh Dhoni's record of six Test centuries by an Indian wicketkeeper. This performance was not just a testament to his skill but also his indomitable spirit. 

The IPL auction in November 2024 marked a significant shift in Pant's career. He was acquired by the Lucknow Super Giants for a record INR 27 crores, making him the most expensive player in IPL history. 

During the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, Rishabh Pant accumulated 255 runs over nine innings, averaging 28.33, with a top score of 61. His standout performance came in the fifth Test at Sydney, where he scored a rapid 61 off 33 balls, including six fours and four sixes, achieving a strike rate of 184.85. This aggressive approach provided crucial momentum to India's innings, exemplifying his blend of aggression and resilience throughout the series.

He was a part of the 2025 ICC Champions winning Indian squad, but unfortunately, couldn’t find a spot in any playing 11 throughout the tournament. 

One of his biggest milestones came during the England tour of 2025, where Pant became the vice-captain of the Test side after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s retirements. He opened the series with twin centuries at Headingley and ended it by playing the innings of his life, coming out to bat with a fractured toe. 

Moreover, Pant's story is one of the greatest tales of redemption, which epitomises his grit, determination and never to die attitude. 

(As of July 2025)