IPL’s most expensive player Rishabh Pant falls for a 6-ball duck in Lucknow's IPL season opener against Delhi

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) star wicketkeeper-batter and skipper Rishabh Pant, the most expensive player in IPL history, endured a nightmare return to the league as he was dismissed for a six-ball duck in the team’s opening match against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025.

Pant, who was signed by LSG for a record-breaking Rs 27 crore at the IPL 2025 auction, walked out to bat with high expectations but failed to get off the mark, falling cheaply to a sharp delivery from Kuldeep Yadav and was caught by Faf du Plessis at long-off, trying to go inside out.

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Pant’s poor start will put additional pressure on him as the season progresses, especially given the weight of expectations following his record-breaking signing.

Delhi Capitals, led by new captain Axar Patel, opted to field first after winning the toss in their season opener. The team was without marquee signing KL Rahul, who was unavailable as he awaits the birth of his first child.

Delhi Capitals’ playing XI featured the likes of Mitchell Starc, Faf du Plessis, and Kuldeep Yadav, while LSG had a power-packed lineup with David Miller, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, and Shardul Thakur supporting Pant.

LSG vs DC: Playing XI

Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (c), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar.Lucknow Super Giants:

Rishabh Pant (c & wk), David Miller, Ayush Badoni, Mitchell Marsh, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Shahbaz Ahmed, Aiden Markram, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi.