The 2025 IPL season was Nicholas Pooran's best-ever - scoring 524 runs at a staggering strike rate of 196.25, with a tournament-high 40 sixes. Less than a year on, that dominance has given way to a sharp slump, underlined by his latest dismissal, bowled for 1 off 7 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Wednesday, April 15.
Signed ahead of the 2023 season for Rs 16 crore, Pooran's journey with LSG has largely been built on high-impact consistency. After scoring 358 and 499 runs respectively in his first two seasons, his peak came last year which led to the franchise retaining him for Rs 21 crore ahead of the current campaign.
So far this season, that investment has offered a rather poor return.
Across his first five innings, Pooran has managed just 42 runs, averaging 8.4. More concerning is the sharp dip in scoring tempo - his strike rate has fallen to a shocking 76.36. It is a significant drop for a batter whose game is defined by boundary-hitting acceleration.
Here's a look at his five innings so far this season:
| Opponent | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate |
| Delhi Capitals | 8 | 8 | 100 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 1 | 4 | 25 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 13 | 15 | 86.67 |
| Gujarat Titans | 19 | 21 | 90.48 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 1 | 7 | 14.29 |
Even within this slump, Pooran reached a significant personal milestone this season. During his innings against Gujarat Titans, he became LSG's all-time leading run-scorer, overtaking KL Rahul and taking his tally with the franchise to 1,422 runs.
The achievement underlines his importance to the franchise, even as his current form raises immediate concerns.
From a team perspective, the impact has been tangible with the team missing his rapid bursts in the middle and death overs. LSG have made a modest start to the season with two wins and two losses, and in their ongoing game against RCB at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, they fell short of a competitive total. They were bowled out for 146 in their 20 overs.
For a player with over 10,000 T20 runs and a career strike rate of 147.52, a correction is statistically likely. But in a short tournament, prolonged dips carry outsized consequences and LSG's Rs 21 crore investment needs a swift correction before the campaign begins to drift drastically.
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