IPL Auction 2025: Sanjiv Goenka admits overpaying 'team man' Rishabh Pant, takes indirect dig at KL Rahul

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka was delighted after the acquisition of the star wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant on day one of the Indian Premier League 2025 mega auction.

However, Sanjiv Goenka admitted that the Lucknow Super Giants slightly overpaid to rope in Rishabh Pant at the auction.

Also Read: IPL Auction 2025: "Worst buy of all-time" - Fans react to KKR acquiring Venkatesh Iyer for INR 23.75 crore

Rishabh Pant roped in by Lucknow Super Giants for a record price

Ahead of the Indian Premier League 2025 mega auction, Rishabh Pant was predicted by many experts to get the highest bid at the event.

And those predictions came true as several franchises were desperate to rope in the services of the wicketkeeper-batsman.

Lucknow Super Giants made the first move after Pant's name came for the auction and Royal Challengers Bengaluru joined them as the amount quickly skyrocketed.

Sunrisers Hyderabad also joined the bidding war and the price went past INR 17 crore in no time. Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, used the Right To Match card at INR 20.75 crore. However, Lucknow Super Giants hiked the price to INR 27 crore, and DC backed out.

Sanjiv Goenka and others were thrilled to buy Pant and the wicketkeeper-batsman became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League.

Speaking to RevSportz after acquiring Rishabh Pant, Sanjiv Goenka said that they were sure that the Capitals wouldn't pay more than INR 26.75 crore

“I knew DC wouldn’t pay more than 26.75 crores for Pant. That’s why I paid 27 crores," Sanjiv Goenka said.

While talking about the captaincy of the team, he said that they would announce a new skipper soon, but added that Pant, Nicholas Pooran, and David Miller will be part of the leadership group.

"We (LSG) will announce the captain very soon. But, we will have a leadership group. It will be Rishabh, Nikki and David Miller," he stated.

He's an outstanding player, he's a team man, he's a match winner - Sanjiv Goenka

Speaking to broadcasters, the Lucknow Super Giants owner stated that Pant was their number-one choice after they parted ways with KL Rahul.

He revealed that they had kept INR 26 crore for him and spent slightly more to acquire his services. Goenka also called Pant a 'team man' which many felt was an indirect dig at the former LSG skipper KL Rahul.

"Well this was part of our plan. Rishabh was on the list and we had kept about 26 for him so 27 was slightly up but we're very happy that we have him," he said.

"He's an outstanding player, he's a team man, he's a match winner. I think we should be very very happy and all our fans should be happy to have him as part of LSG".

"Pant was always part of the plan" - Sanjiv Goenka 💬

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It wasn’t really a magic number - Shashwat Goenka

Sanjiv Goenka's son Shashwat Goenka, who was also present at the auction table, was asked about how they decided the INR 27 crore amount for Pant.

Replying to this, he stated that it wasn't a magic number and they just went with their instinct.

“Like Ricky was saying, what happens at the auction table happens at the auction table, no matter how much you planned for it. Things don’t work out that way.

“It wasn’t really a magic number; it was just what we felt at that moment would have been the right number for us to ensure that the RTM doesn’t get exercised,” he said.