This article covers Rishabh Pant’s journey, highlighting his rise, IPL career, international milestones, and remarkable comeback.
Rishabh Pant Bio Profile
- Full Name: Rishabh Rajendra Pant
- Date of Birth: 4 October 1997
- Age: 27 years
- Birthplace: Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
- Role: Wicketkeeper-Batter
- Batting Style: Left-handed
- International Debut: 2017 (T20I)
- IPL Debut: 2016
- Current IPL Team: Lucknow Super Giants
- IPL Salary (2025): INR 27 Crore
Few cricketers have lit up the world stage with the same fearless intent as Rishabh Pant. A left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman, Pant has redefined the role of the modern keeper in Indian cricket.
Known for his audacious stroke play, lightning-quick reflexes behind the stumps, and strong mental resilience, Pant has already carved out a legacy across formats.
Rishabh Pant Background Career Overview
Early Life, Domestic Rise & U-19 Breakthrough
Born in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Rishabh Pant moved to Delhi at a young age to pursue professional cricket. Training at the Sonnet Cricket Academy under Tarak Sinha helped shape his aggressive batting instincts early.
Pant made his Ranji Trophy debut for Delhi in 2015 at just 18. In the 2016–17 season, he announced himself as a generational talent by scoring a triple century against Maharashtra and a blistering 135 off 67 balls against Jharkhand, proving his ability to dominate even in red-ball cricket.
His rise accelerated during the 2016 ICC Under-19 World Cup, where he smashed the fastest fifty of the tournament (24 balls) against Nepal and followed it with a century against Namibia. Notably, his U-19 hundred came on the same day Delhi Daredevils bought him at the IPL 2016 auction for INR 1.9 crore.
Playing Style, Strengths & Weaknesses
Rishabh Pant is a fearless, instinctive wicket-keeper batter in the Adam Gilchrist mould. He prefers attacking over survival and thrives in pressure situations.
Unlike most left-handers, his strongest scoring zone is between mid-on and square leg, where his powerful bat swing overwhelms bowlers. When momentum is required, Pant looks to force the game forward rather than slow it down.
Strengths
- Fearless counter-attacking mindset
- Proven match-winner in high-pressure games
- Ability to dominate elite bowling attacks
- Strong mental resilience and comeback mentality
Weaknesses
- Risk-heavy shot selection
- Inconsistency during lean phases
- Aggression can occasionally trigger collapses
Accident & Comeback
On 30 December 2022, Pant survived a life-threatening car accident near Roorkee, suffering multiple ligament injuries that required surgeries and long rehabilitation.
He returned to competitive cricket in IPL 2024, captaining Delhi Capitals and scoring 446 runs. Despite fluctuations in form, his comeback was widely regarded as one of the most emotional returns in Indian cricket.
Rishabh Pant Career Highlights
Test Career – Defining Moments
Rishabh Pant’s Test career is defined by high-risk brilliance and match-defining knocks, many of which rank among India’s finest overseas performances.
- 114 vs England, The Oval (2018): First Indian wicketkeeper to score a Test century in England
- 159 vs Australia, Sydney (2019): Anchored India’s innings and sealed their first-ever Test series win in Australia
- 97 vs Australia, SCG (2021): Counter-attacking masterclass to save the Test
- 89 vs Australia, Gabba (2021): One of the greatest fourth-innings knocks, completing a historic series win
- Hundreds vs England (Home, 2021): Key role in India’s 3–1 series victory
- 100 vs South Africa, Cape Town (2022): Lone century when the next best score was 29
- 146 vs England, Edgbaston (2022): Dominated England in a rescheduled Test
- Twin centuries, Headingley (2024): First Indian wicketkeeper to score two hundreds in a single Test
IPL Journey & Captaincy
Rishabh Pant’s IPL career began with Delhi Daredevils in 2016 and evolved into a long-term association marked by leadership and consistency.
- 2016: Bought by Delhi on the day of his U-19 World Cup century
- 2018: Breakout season – 684 runs at a strike rate of 173.60
- 2019: 488 runs, helped DC reach playoffs after seven years
- 2021-22: Appointed captain following Shreyas Iyer’s injury
- 2023: Missed season due to accident
- 2024: Returned as captain, scored 446 runs
Pant remains Delhi Capitals’ all-time leading run-scorer with over 3,000 runs.
Ahead of IPL 2025, Lucknow Super Giants signed Pant for ₹27 crore, making him the most expensive player in IPL history, and later named him captain.
Season-Wise IPL Performance
- 2016 – Delhi Daredevils: 198 runs
- 2017 – Delhi Daredevils: 366 runs
- 2018 – Delhi Daredevils: 684 runs, 1 century
- 2019 – Delhi Capitals: 488 runs
- 2020 – Delhi Capitals: 343 runs
- 2021 – Delhi Capitals: 419 runs (Captain)
- 2022 – Delhi Capitals: 340 runs (Captain)
- 2024 – Delhi Capitals: 446 runs
- 2025 – Lucknow Super Giants: 269 runs, 1 century
IPL Career Total:
Matches – 125 | Runs – 3552 | 50s – 19 | 100s – 2
Records & Achievements
- Most expensive player in IPL history (₹27 crore, 2025)
- Delhi Capitals’ all-time leading run-scorer
- First Indian wicketkeeper to score Test centuries in England and Australia
- First Indian keeper to score two centuries in a single Test
- Hero of India’s historic 2020–21 Test series win in Australia
- Fastest fifty of the 2016 Under-19 World Cup
Rishabh Pant Career Stats Summary
Batting & Fielding
| Metric | Tests | ODIs | T20Is | FC | List A | T20s |
| Mat | 49 | 31 | 76 | 77 | 74 | 216 |
| Inns | 86 | 27 | 66 | 130 | 67 | 204 |
| NO | 5 | 1 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 35 |
| Runs | 3476 | 871 | 1209 | 5610 | 2001 | 5291 |
| HS | 159* | 125* | 65* | 308 | 135 | 128* |
| Ave | 42.91 | 33.50 | 23.25 | 45.98 | 32.80 | 31.30 |
| BF | 4682 | 820 | 950 | 6897 | 1901 | 3664 |
| SR | 74.24 | 106.21 | 127.26 | 81.33 | 105.26 | 144.40 |
| 100s | 8 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 3 |
| 50s | 18 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 13 | 26 |
| 4s | 372 | 91 | 111 | 598 | 200 | 483 |
| 6s | 94 | 26 | 44 | 186 | 72 | 244 |
| Ct | 160 | 27 | 40 | 245 | 81 | 136 |
| St | 16 | 1 | 11 | 23 | 12 | 37 |
Bowling
| Metric | Tests | ODIs | T20Is | FC | List A | T20s |
| Mat | 49 | 31 | 76 | 77 | 74 | 216 |
| Inns | – | – | – | 1 | – | – |
| Balls | – | – | – | 12 | – | – |
| Runs | – | – | – | 9 | – | – |
| Wkts | – | – | – | 1 | – | – |
| BBI | – | – | – | 1/9 | – | – |
| BBM | – | – | – | 1/9 | – | – |
| Ave | – | – | – | 9.00 | – | – |
| Econ | – | – | – | 4.50 | – | – |
| SR | – | – | – | 12.0 | – | – |
| 4w | – | – | – | 0 | – | – |
| 5w | – | – | – | 0 | – | – |
| 10w | – | – | – | 0 | – | – |
Rishabh Pant FAQs
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