It has been a difficult IPL 2025 for LSG and their skipper Rishabh Pant. Their season was filled with setbacks which has left the team out of playoff contention - with just 12 points from 13 matches.
For Pant, the personal struggle has been just as pronounced -- his comeback from a life-threatening car crash was nothing short of heroic but he has not been able to score runs. With only 151 runs at a strike rate of 107.09, this has been the 27-year-old’s most underwhelming IPL season yet.
More: List of top 10 highest successful run chases in IPL at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
But despite the numbers, LSG head coach Justin Langer is not judging Pant by the scorecard.
What did LSG's head coach Justin Langer say about Rishabh Pant?
Speaking after LSG’s win over Gujarat Titans, Langer praised Pant’s mindset and leadership through a testing campaign.
"You always judge a person's character by how they go through tough times. And Rishabh's stayed consistent the whole way through. I really respect that. We all know what he's been through... but he keeps stepping up, he wants to keep fighting hard for the boys." said Langer.
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Even as results didn’t go LSG’s way, Langer pointed out that Pant’s commitment never wavered.
"You would not know [he’s had a rough season], and that's a sign of a really strong person." he added.
LSG’s massive 235-run total against Gujarat was a rare high point - thanks to Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran. With just one game left (against Royal Challengers Bengaluru), Langer stressed on finishing with pride.
"There are guys who haven’t had great seasons... we want to show that we have got a very good core. It’d be nice to finish off strongly,” he concluded.