IPL Auction 2025: Nicholas Pooran paid a whopping INR 21 crore by LSG after KL Rahul's exit

West Indies National Cricket Team batter Nicholas Pooran is all set to receive a whopping amount from the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). As per the reports in RevSportz, it is learned that the Sanjiv Goenka-led franchise will be retaining the keeper-batter for INR 21 crore ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2025.

There were a lot of reports previously that claimed that Nicholas Pooran is expected to be retained at INR 18 crore. But the fresh set of reports in RevSportz claimed that the West Indies batter was in Kolkata to meet the Lucknow Super Giants franchise owner over the amount he will be retained.

It was a unanimous call from the coaching staff to choose Nicholas Pooran as top pick

Nicholas Pooran met Dr Sanjiv Goenka and the owner of the franchise was keen to pay highly. The keeper-batter will be the top retention for the Lucknow Super Giants and will be getting over 20 crores. The reports claimed that it was a unanimous call from the coaching staff to choose keeper-batter as the top pick.

Nicholas Pooran, who has a strike rate of 162.29, was well above KL Rahul in terms of top picks for the Lucknow Super Giants. The think tank of Lucknow Super Giants in head coach Justin Langer and mentor Zaheer Khan reportedly were hugely impressed with his ability to turn around the game in a few overs.

Nicholas Pooran arguably is one of the best T20 batters going around the world and with the kind of impact that he has made, he surely deserves the high price tag. His ability to go after the bowlers right from the start sets him apart and makes him a dangerous player.

LSG retain Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan

Poooran had a phenomenal outing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He slammed 499 runs last season at a strike rate of 178.21. His best came in the game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), where he had a strike rate of 300, which speaks volumes about his caliber.

Apart from Nicholas Pooran, it is learned that the franchise will be retaining Mayank Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi. Both the Indian players will be getting INR 11 crore and for the uncapped category, the franchise has kept Ayush Badoni and Mohsin Khan, who will be getting INR 4 crore.

KL Rahul part ways with Lucknow Super Giants

Meanwhile, KL Rahul on the other hand, has decided to parted ways with the franchise and will be entering the IPL 2025 auction. There were reports that claimed that the batter was offered the top retention by the franchise, but he decided to move away for personal and professional reasons.

Rahul has been part of the franchise since the time they came into existence in 2022. He played a decent role for the team, taking them to the playoffs in the first two seasons before ending in the bottom half of the points table in the IPL 2024. With him being a top Indian player, he is likely to attract huge bids.