Iyer thrives, Pant plummets

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer, acquired for a staggering Rs 26.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, has proven to be worth every rupee. Under his dynamic leadership, Punjab has surged up the standings and currently sits in second place with 15 points, positioning themselves as formidable contenders for a playoff berth.

In stark contrast, Rishabh Pant, leading Lucknow Super Giants after being bought for an even heftier Rs 27 crore, has endured a disappointing campaign. His performances have fallen short of expectations, both as a batter and as a skipper, raising questions about the return on such a massive investment.

Former India batter Ambati Rayudu believes that Iyer’s successful season can be partly attributed to his longstanding rapport with head coach Ricky Ponting. Their previous association at Delhi Capitals appears to be paying dividends once again.

“Shreyas has had this partnership with Ricky Ponting at Delhi (Capitals),” Rayudu told ESPNcricinfo. “They both know each other very well. That is very, very important. You need to know your coach as a captain because both have to be hand in glove. It`s a long tournament. You can`t be on different pages or (have) different mindsets. And Shreyas actually likes Ricky Ponting a lot. He is someone who is a little more aggressive in terms of his strategies, I think it`s a good match that is made in Punjab at the moment. Shreyas definitely as a batsman has improved quite a lot,” he added.

Meanwhile, former New Zealand cricketer Katey Martin pointed out that Pant’s dual responsibilities, captaining the side and keeping wickets, may be hampering his overall performance. She also highlighted the mismatch in chemistry between Ponting and Pant during their time together at Delhi Capitals, as opposed to the clear synergy Ponting shares with Iyer.

“Ponting, going into the auction, he spoke so much about the fact that he wanted to build a team around the captain and he wanted the captain to lead the side,” Martin told ESPNcricinfo.

“With Shreyas Iyer scoring runs as well, he`s been able to translate that into the captaincy and the confidence and vice versa. With Pant, who hasn`t had that confidence and hasn`t been able to score the runs that he would have liked, I think there`s added pressure as a wicketkeeper as well,” she said.

Martin added that wicketkeepers often rely heavily on others to support leadership duties from the field. “When you`re a keeper you have to kind of rely on others around you and (Nicholas) Pooran`s probably the next leader. You see him come from the boundary. But when he`s in the boundary the majority of the time, it can be a little challenging. So that`s the added pressure of keeping and to negate the bowlers from as far back as you can as a wicketkeeper,” she explained.

(With ANI inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day