The IPL 2026 have begun, and all eyes are now on some of the star players of this season. One such cricketer is Rishabh Pant, whose rise from a humble background to becoming one of the most popular Indian cricketers is nothing but awe-inspiring. On December 30, 2022, Pant survived a fatal car accident and his comeback as a cricketer shows his hard work, grit and determination. Now at 28 and leading the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as the most expensive player in IPL history, Pant is no longer just the kid with the audacious reverse-sweeps; he’s the captain, the anchor, and the heartbeat of a franchise chasing its first title.But if you look past the flashing neon lights of the IPL and the ₹27 crore price tag, you’ll find a story that isn’t about stats or sponsorships. It’s a story about a small-town family from Uttarakhand that simply refused to let a dream die. Here’s a look at Rishabh Pant’s family, his support system behind life’s ups and downs:
Meet Rishabh Pant’s late father, Rajendra Pant
Every superhero has an origin story, and for Rishabh, it started in Roorkee with his father, Rajendra. While most Indian dads in the early 2000s were pushing their kids toward engineering or medicine, Rajendra Pant— a businessman— saw something different in his son. He noticed Rishabh’s love for cricket and he supported his son’s choice to pursue cricket professionally.Tragedy, however, has a way of testing one’s will. In 2017, Rishabh’s father Rajendra passed away from a sudden heart attack. Rishabh was only 20 then. And Rishabh often credits his father for making him the cricketer that he is today.
Meet Rishabh Pant’s mother, Saroj Pant: The silent superpower
Photo: Rishabh Pant/ Instagram
If Rajendra provided the vision, Saroj Pant provided the sheer, unadulterated hustle. When Rishabh was 12, there were no fancy academies in Roorkee. So, every weekend, Saroj would take her son on a six-hour bus journey to Delhi to train under the legendary coach Tarak Sinha, as per reports.With no place to stay and limited funds, the mother and son spent their nights at the Moti Bagh Gurudwara, reported Sportskeeda. They ate at the langar and slept on the floor, all so Rishabh could make it to 6:00 AM nets. And so, she has been the silent superpower behind Rishabh Pant’s rise to success as a cricketer. After his horrific car accident in 2022, she was the one who nursed him back to life thus proving that while coaches can build a player, only a mother can rebuild a human.
Meet Rishabh Pant’s sister, Sakshi Pant
Then there’s Sakshi, the elder sister and the family’s emotional glue. While Rishabh was conquering the cricket world, Sakshi was carving her own path in the UK, earning an MBA and working at the National Pharmacy Association.The last year has been a massive one for the Pant clan. After a nine-year romance with London businessman Ankit Chaudhary, Sakshi had a dream Mussoorie wedding in March 2025. It was a rare moment of pure, unalloyed joy for the family—a traditional Kumaoni celebration where Rishabh, the global icon, was just the happy younger brother at his sister’s wedding. For a family that has seen so much hospital-room stress and mourning, Sakshi’s wedding felt like a long-overdue “win.“
Why the family matters
In the high-pressure world of professional sports, it’s easy to become a corporate product. But Pant’s captaincy at LSG feels different because it’s grounded in these Roorkee roots. When he makes an aggressive bowling change or laughs off a dropped catch, he’s channeling that “nothing to lose” spirit his father taught him.He plays like someone who knows that life can be taken away in a fiery car wreck on a foggy highway, and that 20 years of work can be summarized in a weekend at a Gurudwara. He doesn’t play for the paycheck anymore; he plays for the legacy and sacrifices of his parents, it seems.