Expensive flops? Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer's IPL 2025 disappointments

IPL 2025 has been a mixture of talents and unpredictable moments. The spotlight always falls on the players who are bought for a high price in the auction.

In 2025 IPL, the spotlight is on two big names that fans were expecting big things from. This article examines Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer's IPL 2025 disappointments that sparked heated discussions for being expensive flops.

Rishabh Pant's ₹27 crore letdown 

Rishabh Pant, who captained DC in the last season, was picked up by Lucknow Super Giants as the most expensive player in IPL history for ₹27 crore. He is having an extremely disappointing IPL season this year. He scored 110 runs in 10 matches so far, with an average of 12.22 and a strike rate below 100.

LSG has won 5 out of 10 matches, and Pant has gone out for a duck twice in those. Fans expected him to take greater responsibilities this year as a captain, considering the kind of quality batter he is. 

The franchise has managed to win matches with team efforts, but lacked the support from their skipper. Pant scored 63 in 49 balls against CSK but failed to be consistent in the following matches.

Questions have also been raised about his annual contract with BCCI, and we are yet to see a steady comeback after his massive flop. The weight of the price tag definitely appears to have become a heavy burden.

Pant's IPL 2025 batting figures:

• vs DC- 0(6)
• vs SRH- 15(15)
• vs PBKS- 2(5)
• vs MI- 2(6)
• vs CSK- 63(49)
• vs RR- 3(9)
• vs MI- 4(2)

Venkatesh Iyer's costly silence 

Venkatesh Iyer's 2025 season with Kolkata Knight Riders serves as another big example of expensive letdown. He has delivered consistent performance for the franchise in previous years and was a major pillar of contribution for the defending champions. 

KKR reacquired him with a huge ₹23.75 crore with the hopes of him proving to be their key player, but it was all a flop show. The team is currently not doing well in the points table, having 4 wins in 10 matches, and this is the crucial stage where they need him to step out.

Venkatesh scored 142 runs in 10 matches, with an average of 20.29, which makes the question stand strong: was the big price worth it?

IPL 2025 batting figures:

• vs RCB- 6(7)
• vs MI- 3(9)
• vs SRH- 60(29)
• vs LSG- 45(29)
• vs PBKS- 7(4)
• GT- 14(19)
• vs DC- 7(5)