The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) created history at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, where they splashed a record fee of Rs 27 crore to acquire one of the faces of the league, Rishabh Pant. Pant’s acquisition was more than just a mere player transfer. It has taken IPL to further new heights, making him the costliest T20 franchise player ever. All this came moments after Shreyas Iyer was sold to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Rs 26.75 crore. Now, LSG have officially named Pant as their new skipper ahead of IPL 2025. Meanwhile, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka has revealed how he got Pant in the mega auction.
LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka reveals the ‘Rishabh Pant’ plan
While talking at an event in Kolkata, where Pant was named as the LSG captain, Sanjiv Goenka divulged his “full-throttle” thoughts in buying Pant at the auction. Goenka went on to say that he was extremely considerate in having Pant and had a separate purse available for him.
“I was clear that I want Rishabh Pant and I will get him. Zaheer Khan and I were sitting comfortably. Any franchise wanted to do anything; they could’ve but we were sure. (Mujhe koi farak nahi padta koi kya soch rha hai, main clear tha). I was clear that the money I wanted to spend on him, nobody would’ve. I had no stress. On the flip side, I had more stress when I was bidding for the likes of Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal. Because those two were part of the strategy. But Pant was fixed for us,” said Sanjiv Goenka while sitting on the side of Pant during the event.
How LSG bought Rishabh Pant at the IPL auction
The LSG owner stated that the strategies for other players, namely Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal, was different. On the flip side, Pant’s acquisition was clear in Goenka’s mind. It must be noted that they were the first bidders for the southpaw at the mega auction and were embroiled in a bidding war with the likes of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Sunrsisers Hyderabad (SRH). Pant’s former franchise, Delhi Capitals (DC), tried to use their RTM card but LSG shot the price to Rs 27 crore, an amount that forced every team out of the equation.
Pant was released by DC and LSG got rid of KL Rahul. Interestingly, it has turned out to be a swap between the two as KL Rahul was bought by the Capitals for Rs 14.00 crore.
