Hear from Sanjiv Goenka as to why Lucknow Super Giants spent INR ₹27 crore on Rishabh Pant at the 2025 IPL mega auction.
Owner of the Lucknow Super Giants, Sanjiv Goenka, has spoken about the franchise’s decision to secure Rishabh Pant at a record-breaking price at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Pant, expected to be one of the top purchases, created history as he became the costliest player of all time at the two-day event, with LSG shelling a staggering ₹27 crore for the India wicketkeeper batter on Sunday. For the first time ever, Indians outshined the overseas attractions, with Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer, all earning more than ₹20 crore.
Will Rishabh Pant’s record ever be broken?(Getty)
Goenka, who was at the auction table, played a huge role in LSG acquiring 19 players, with some renowned names such as David Miller, Mitchell Marsh, Akash Deep and Aiden Markram coming on board. But among all the 192 buys, Pant emerged as the show stealer. LSG needed someone to be the face of the franchise after KL Rahul’s controversial departure, and Goenka sounds confident that Pant could fill those shoes.
“This was not about one individual player. It was not about egos. Did we want to have the most expensive player? No. At the end of the day, this does not mean very much to the franchise,” Goenka said to Cricbuzz.
Pant has done everything right since coming back from a career-threatening car accident in December of 2022. In the IPL, Pant scored 446 runs from 13 matches, and even though the Delhi Capitals failed to reach the Playoffs, Pant’s match fitness was one of the season’s biggest stories. A few days after the IPL, Pant was part of India’s T20 World Cup campaign, scoring a crucial 42 runs against Pakistan. In September, Pant returned to India’s Test set-up and immediately hit form, scoring 109 in the second innings of the Chennai Test. Against New Zealand, too, Pant was in blistering form, India’s only in-form batter with scores of 99, 60 and 64.
Rishabh Pant’s comeback one for the ages, says Sanjiv Goenka
The very fact that Pant made a miraculous recovery in such a short time and was back playing as if he never left, made Pant a hot attraction at the auction, and Goenka and LSG made the most of being in the right place at the right time.
“It is about somebody who brings dynamism, a never-say-die attitude. The very fact that he recovered from a near-fatal accident and came back to top form shows his resilience and determination. That is the kind of attitude we want. We want people who have an appetite to win and have a track record of winning,” added Goenka.
The IPL is expected to throw up plenty of surprises as far as captaincy is concerned, with Rahul, Pant, Iyer all in line for leadership role. Even Virat Kohli is set to return as captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru if reports are to be believed. As for LSG, Pant will likely captain, although Goenka remained tight-lipped about the team’s leadership.
“Bataunga, bataunga, very soon. (I’ll let you know). Let the auction get over and we will tell you. Will inform you all very soon,” Goenka had said on Sunday.
