Rishabh Rajendra Pant

International career

Rishabh Pant, known for his powerful batting and consistent performances, has represented India in all formats, with a strong reputation in Test cricket. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he plays for the Lucknow Super Giants. In 2025, Pant became the most expensive player in the IPL, bought by Lucknow Super Giants for ₹27.00 crore. Additionally, he was a key member of the Indian team that clinched the 2024 T20 World Cup title. Before his rise to the senior team, Pant served as the vice-captain of the India U-19 team, which finished as runners-up in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup.

2017:

• January 2017: Pant joined India’s T20I squad for the series against England. He made his debut on February 1, 2017, in the third T20I at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. Pant was the youngest Indian to debut in a T20I at 19 years and 120 days.

2018:

• February 2018: Pant was part of India's squad for the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka.
• July 2018: Pant was included in India's Test squad for the series against England. He made his Test debut on August 18, 2018, and became the first Indian to score a Test century in England. He also became the second-youngest wicketkeeper in the world to score a century in Tests.
• October 2018: Pant made his ODI debut against the West Indies on October 21, 2018.

2019:

December 2018: Pant set a record by taking 11 catches in a Test match against Australia, the most by any Indian wicketkeeper in a single Test.

January 2019: Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a century in a Test match in Australia.

June 2019: Pant joined India’s World Cup squad as a replacement for Shikhar Dhawan, who got injured during the tournament. The ICC later named Pant as the Rising Star of the World Cup.

September 2019: Pant became the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to reach 50 dismissals in Test cricket.

2020:

During the 2020 IPL, Pant's performance dropped. He only managed 343 runs at a strike rate of 113, much lower than his earlier seasons.

He was dropped from India's limited-overs team during the 2020-21 Australia tour, although he remained in the Test squad but did not play in the first Test at Adelaide.

2021:

January 2021: After India’s poor performance in the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Pant replaced Wriddhiman Saha for the second Test in Melbourne. He scored 29 runs in the first innings.

January 2021 (Sydney Test): Pant’s performance in the Sydney Test was a turning point. He scored 97 runs off 118 balls, and helped India save the match and earn a draw.

January 2021 (The Gabba Test): Pant played an unbeaten knock of 89 runs to help India chase down 328 and win the Test. This victory ended Australia's unbeaten run at The Gabba since 1988.

September 2021: Pant was selected for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

2022:

January 2022: Pant was named in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year 2021.

March 2022: Pant broke the record for the fastest half-century in a Test match for India, and scored 50 in just 28 balls.

May 2022: Pant was made vice-captain for India’s series against South Africa. After KL Rahul got injured, Pant was named the captain for the series, becoming the second-youngest Indian to captain in a T20I.

July 2022: Pant scored his first ODI century, making 125 not out in the final match against England.

2023:

December 2022: Pant was involved in a car crash, which kept him away from cricket for several months. His recovery and return to fitness became a major talking point in Indian cricket.

2024:

April 2024: Pant made his comeback to international cricket, being selected for India’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

February 2025: Pant was bought by Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL auction for a record ₹27 crore.

Indian Premier League

Rishabh Pant has been a key player in the IPL since 2016. Here is a summary of his IPL career:

In 2025, Pant joined Lucknow Super Giants IPL team for ₹27 crore. His move to the team was one of the biggest stories of the auction. Entering the 2026 season, he remains the most expensive player in IPL history and has been retained as LSG captain; to rediscover his best form, he has been training extensively with Yuvraj Singh in Mumbai, focusing on a more aggressive batting stance ahead of the tournament opener.

Domestic career

Rishabh Pant started his domestic cricket career playing for Rajasthan at the U-14 and U-16 levels. However, due to facing discrimination, he moved to Delhi to continue his cricket journey. At 18, he made his debut in the Ranji Trophy in 2015. Pant’s breakthrough came when he scored a triple-century against Maharashtra, setting several records. During the 2016-17 season, he hit a quick 48-ball century against Jharkhand, highlighting his aggressive batting.

His impressive performances in domestic cricket earned him a spot in India’s T20 squad for the 2017 series against England. In the same year, he was named captain of Delhi for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The next year, in a Zonal T20 League match against Himachal Pradesh, Pant scored 100 runs off just 32 balls, the second-fastest century in T20 cricket. These achievements helped Pant establish himself as one of India's top young players.

Records and achievements

Many records have been set by Rishabh Pant, and numerous awards have been received in his career. Below is a list of his key achievements:

Records:

• The fastest fifty for India in the U-19 World Cup and the second-fastest in U-19 World Cup history.
• The second youngest player for India to debut in a T20I match.
• The first batter for India to start his Test career with a six.
• The fastest wicket-keeper for India to affect fifty dismissals in Test cricket.
• The most runs in a Test series by a wicket-keeper: 720 runs in the 2021-23 World Test Championship.
• The most dismissals in a Test series as a wicket-keeper: 39 dismissals (highest to date).
• The most catches in a Test match (record-holder).
• The 5th most dismissals in a Test inning.
• 11 dismissals as a wicketkeeper in a single Test match, the most by any keeper.
• The 5th most catches in a single Test inning as a keeper.
• The 5th most catches in a Test series.
• 12th in the list for most stumpings in a Test match with three stumpings.
• A career strike rate of 108.80 in ODIs, the 14th highest for any batsman in the format.

Awards:

• ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer of the Year at the 2018 ICC Awards (January 2019).
• ICC Men’s Player of the Month in February 2021.
• Emerging Player of IPL 11 and Stylish Player Award in 2018.
• Part of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Personal life

Rishabh Pant was born in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, and loved cricket from a young age. Due to limited opportunities in his hometown, his family moved to Delhi when he was 12, so he could train under coach Tarak Sinha. Sinha had also trained Shikhar Dhawan. Pant faced some challenges in his early career, including moving to Rajasthan to play district-level cricket, but returned to Delhi due to discrimination. At 18, Pant made his debut in first-class cricket.