In his short career, Rishabh Pant has turned into one of India’s most recognizable cricketers. The 26-year-old has been an integral part of Indian cricket ever since he made his debut in 2017. His swashbuckling antics with the bat and acrobatic wicket keeping qualities have made him first choice for the Indian team. Full Name Rishabh Rajendra Pant Date of Birth October 04, 1997 Birthplace Roorkee, Uttarakhand Nickname Spidey Height 5’ 7” (170 cm) Weight 70 kg Occupation Cricketer, Investor Teams Represented Delhi, India U19, Delhi Capitals, India, India A, North Zone, India Blue, India Red, Indian Board President’s XI, Asia XI, Delhi U19 Net Worth $12 million (₹100 crore) Earnings/year $3 million
Pant’s aggressive batting is a far cry from his relaxed persona off-the-field. This mix of on-field and off-field personalities make him a popular and sought after figure in terms of brands and sponsors reaching out to keep Pant front and centre of their brand’s establishment as a market force.
As a result, despite being only 26, Pant has established himself as one of the most marketable cricketers, thanks to his brand positioning and his commercial viability. Pant has also involved himself in various profitable ventures which have helped prop up his net worth to more than ₹100 crore.
RISHABH PANT: CAREER IN NUMBERS
Ever since he made his debut in 2017. Since then, he has established himself as one of India’s most explosive batsmen. The man from Roorkee was already making waves in the domestic cricket circuit as an aggressive proponent of batting and wicket-keeping at a time where the national team selectors had the task of finding a replacement for the evergreen MS Dhoni. Format Matches Innings Runs Average 50s 100s Highest Catches Stumpings Test 33 56 2,671 43.67 11 5 159* 119 14 ODI 30 26 865 34.60 5 1 125* 26 1 T20I 74 64 1,158 22.71 3 – 65* 40 10 IPL 111 110 3,284 35.31 18 1 128* 75 23 FC 57 92 4,123 48.50 19 10 308 189 21 List A 66 60 1,783 32.41 11 2 135 69 11
Pant sensed a chance to step into the shoes of the big man and established himself by scoring a sensational triple hundred (308) in a Ranji Trophy match. He further followed it up with big scores in the IPL which led to his arrival on the international cricket stage in 2017. Despite an underwhelming start, Pant made everyone take notice of his prodigious talents in the longest format of the game.
His big breakthrough came during India’s overseas Test tours where Pant proved himself as a matchwinner in tough conditions. He was part of India’s victorious tours of Australia in both 2018 and 2020. Pant was a key part of the 2020 tour where he led the team to victory at the Gabba, Brisbane, marking Australia’s first defeat in the stadium for nearly two decades. The wicketkeeper-batsman marked the dawn of a new era in Indian cricket by scoring an unbeaten 89 in the second innings to steer his side to an iconic triumph and their second successive Test series win Down Under.
In 2024, Pant had his hands on silverware for the first time in his professional career as the wicketkeeper batsman played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph.
The 26-year-old has also been a cornerstone of the Delhi Capitals franchise in the IPL since making his debut in 2016. Pant has featured in more than 100 games for the capital outfit and was part of the side that finished runners-up in 2020 before making another playoff appearance in 2021.
PANT’S EARNINGS
Pant has established himself as one of India’s top cricketers across all three formats. As a result, Pant is also among the highest earning cricketers in India. The man from Delhi has a Grade B contract with the BCCI which pays him ₹3 crore/year along with his regular match fees that pays him ₹15 lakh for a Test match, ₹7 lakh for an ODI and ₹3 lakh for a T20I.
Pant is also one of the most followed players in the IPL and his contract reflects his value to his home franchise, the Delhi Capitals. The left-hander is paid ₹16 crores/year for his services to the franchise from the capital.
Including his winnings and other bonuses, Pant’s annual earnings from the game tally up to nearly ₹25 crore ($3 million).
HOW BIG IS RISHABH PANT’S COMMERCIAL APPEAL?
As one of the most popular names in Indian cricket today, even at 26, Pant is a man in demand thanks to his young age and marketability. Pant’s commercial value is reflective of his emergence into a superstar of Indian and World cricket. Hence, brands don’t want to miss out on a single opportunity to get on the bandwagon and align themselves with the man on his way to becoming one of the most recognizable names in cricket today.
- Dream 11
- Noise
- Himalaya
- Cadbury
- HDFC Life Insurance
- Adidas
- Dish TV
- Nasher Miles
- Optimum Nutrition
In 2022, the Delhi dasher also extended his long-continued association with renowned cricket equipment manufacturer Sanspareils Greenlands (SG). It’s reported that Pant charges nearly ₹1 crore per endorsement deal and his rising popularity could very well see more brands being added to the portfolio and further swell his commercial appetite and desirability.
INVESTMENTS
Apart from earning from his playing career and his off-field brand deals, Pant has also involved himself in investing in various companies that help diversify his portfolio.
- In 2021, the cricketer invested in Rario, a company that deals with offering cricket-based digital collectibles, like player trading cards and NFTs for fans to possess.
“The past year of my career has given me some very special moments, be it the century against England in Ahmedabad or leading Delhi Capitals to the IPL playoffs. My innings in The Brisbane Cricket Ground, Gabba is also something I will never forget. My fans and I can preserve these moments in a modern way.”
-Rishabh Pant after signing up with Rario
- He followed it by partnering with ‘The Pant Project’ (has nothing to do with his name/isn’t his own company) to create his personalized line of custom-made shorts and pants for men.
- In 2023, the cricketer invested in Over Zillion Units (OZU), a logistics and freight-tech company. Pant agreed to come onboard as an investor as well as brand ambassador for the company which has its headquarters in Dubai.
PANT’S HOUSES AND CARS
Despite his young age, as one of the most popular cricketers in India, Pant has invested in the good life. The 26-year-old owns properties in Delhi, Haridwar and his native town of Roorkee. While his house in Roorkee is not the most opulent of his properties, it’s the house where Rishabh grew up and currently stays with his family.
Pant’s native house features a laid-back and simple yet elegant interior. His more opulent property is the one he owns in Delhi. Pant’s residence in the capital is situated in a farmhouse in the Uttam Nagar area. The luxurious estate contains the latest high-end amenities such as a fully-furnished gym containing top-end equipment that helps Pant to stay in shape while away from the game, a huge swimming pool and lounge area, vast open green spaces, as well as a snooker room for the youngster to show off his snooker skills.
As one of the country’s most athletic cricketers, Pant’s social media often has pictures of him sweating it out in his gym or spending quality time with his family. It’s also the house that contains his impressive array of cars. Pant’s taste in high-end four wheelers indicates his rich taste in vehicles. Some of the major automobile pieces that the 26-year-old owns include:
- Audi A8: ₹1.5 crore
- Mercedes Benz GLE: ₹96.4 lakh
- Ford Mustang GT: ₹90 lakh
- Mercedes-Benz GLC: ₹75 lakh
- Hyundai i20: ₹7 lakh
Interestingly, Pant’s dream car while growing up was the i20, which is currently the cheapest available car in his collection. Goes to how bigger and better your dreams can get once you reach the big stage.
POPULARITY, FAMILY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
As we mentioned before, Pant is one of the most recognizable names in Indian cricket. Hence, the young cricketer enjoys a prolific following on social media.
PANT’S SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING
Instagram – 13.6 million followers
Twitter/X – 4.4 million followers
Facebook – 5.6 million followers
IS RISHABH PANT A PHILANTHROPIST?
Apart from his profitable ventures and cashing in on his popularity, Pant has also involved himself in several charitable ventures. The aggressive left-hander donated money to the Hemkunt Foundation to obtain oxygen cylinders, beds, and COVID-related relief kits for the needy during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In February 2021, Pant also donated his match fee from India vs England’s first Test in Chennai to aid the rescue efforts after a glacier breach caused damage in his home state of Uttarakhand.
FOREVER FIGHTING THE ODDS
While Pant’s personality might look jovial and relaxed, his journey has been anything but. The 26-year-old has already faced numerous challenges in his life and still young cricketing career.
As a youngster, Pant would often travel from his hometown of Roorkee to Delhi where he would train at the reputed Sonnet Club. He would then find a place to sleep before travelling back to his hometown. The youngster eventually found refuge in a nearby gurudwara (a sikh shrine) who were kind enough to offer him food and a place to sleep in the premises. Pant had to contend with this rigorous schedule of travel back and forth, strenuous practice, manage his studies and all else for many years.
If the above circumstances strengthened him, it was for a crippling moment in 2017, when Rishabh lost his father Rajendra Pant at the young age of 19, a year after he had made his debut for the Delhi Capitals and a few months before his debut for India. The youngster currently lives with his family which includes his sister and his mother.
RISHABH’S CLOSE SHAVE WITH DEATH
Another seminal moment that occurred would alter Rishabh’s life forever. In the early hours of December 30, 2022, the cricketer was on his way to his hometown of Roorkee to usher in the New Year with his family when his car swerved off the road resulting in a high-speed collision with the median that proved to be nearly fatal. Pant’s car caught fire upon the collision and the cricketer who was stuck inside was saved from the inferno by the timely intervention of the duo of bus driver Sushil Kumar and conductor Paramjeet Singh who were on a bus passing through the area.
The collision left Pant absolutely debilitated with several brutal injuries and tears to his knee, head, back and feet. He suffered several bruises and lacerations to his face which had to be reconstructed using surgery. Pant was given more than two years to get himself repaired and rehabilitated and ready to return to professional cricket. In doing so, the cricketer missed out on the home world cup in 2023, something which he added as one of his biggest regrets in his still young career.
(Credit: BCCI [X])
But the fighter that is Pant, braved through the initial days that he described as ‘worse than hell’, where he required help to perform even the most basic duties. He eventually finished all his treatments and got back to getting himself in shape and ready to return to doing what he loved the most.
Slowly but surely, the 26-year-old overcame all the odds, uncertainties and self-doubt to return to professional cricket, nearly 14 months from that horrific incident. But if there’s something that characterizes Pant, it’s that the maverick wicketkeeper batsman is always someone who lives his life like his cricket, rife with adversities, but ready to give a fight and take the attack to the opposition when the going gets tough.
