Rishabh Pant no guarantee as LSG captain- Sanjiv Goenka sends shockwaves after Auction History

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after being snapped up by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a jaw-dropping INR 27 crores on Day 1 of the ongoing IPL 2025 Mega Auction on Sunday (November 24).

Initially, a fierce bidding battle unfolded between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). However, the RCB eventually stepped back, and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) joined the bidding war, aiming to strengthen their dynamic batting lineup.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) snag Rishabh Pant in jaw-dropping INR 27 crore deal at the IPL 2025 mega auction

Later, Delhi Capitals (DC) tried to use the 'Right to Match' card to bring back the Indian star, but ultimately fell short of matching the hefty bid from Lucknow Super Giants, who broke the bank for Rishabh Pant, even surpassing Shreyas Iyer's value of INR 26.75 crore by Punjab Kings (PBKS).

With this historic signing at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Lucknow Super Giants has finally got a proper top-order batter, wicketkeeper, and captaincy option in the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter.

Read Also: IPL Auction 2025: GT, SRH suffer as Mallika Sagar makes shocking blunders

Now, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka broke his silence on the million-dollar question of whether Rishabh Pant is going to lead the franchise in the IPL 2025 after breaking the bank for him on Day 1 of the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah.

Sanjiv Goenka has kept it a secret whether they will make Rishabh Pant the captain or not but said that he is a leader and fighter, and they will announce the skipper soon. The LSG owner also revealed that they and the coaching staff unanimously decided to buy Pant at the auction.

We will announce the captain shortly: Sanjiv Goenka

Sanjiv Goenka was quoted as saying by TOI and Sports Tak: “We will announce the captain shortly. One thing I can say is, that with strong leaders in Pant, Pooran, and Miller in our ranks, we will have a leadership team. Pant was our No. 1 target going into the auction. We planned our auction strategy around him.

We looked at the kind of impact he has on a game: proven match-winner, his positive outlook, and resilience. He is a fighter. What he brings to the table is well-established. It was a unanimous decision between Zaheer (Khan), (Justin) Langer, Shashwat (Goenka), and me. All our buys so far have been match-winners.”

Read Also: KKR on regret mode after Venkatesh Iyer's hefty buy? Franchise issues official statement

On being asked whether Pant is a good signing for the Lucknow Super Giants, Sanjiv Goenka said, “Yes. Had it not been a good buy, we wouldn't have bought him for Rs 27 crore just to satisfy our ego. We had separately kept Rs 25-27 crore reserved for him. He was fulfilling our requirements, and we had planned to go all out for him.”

"Pant was always part of the plan" - #SanjivGoenka addresses the mega purchases of #RishabhPant and #DavidMiller at the #TATAIPLAuction! 💬

📺 #IPLAuctionOnJioStar DAY 2 👉 MON 25 NOV, 2:30 PM on Star Sports Network & JioCinema!#TATAIPL #LucknowSuperGiants pic.twitter.com/QfazNDCW2z

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 24, 2024

This is the right time for Rishabh Pant to go one step up as a leader: Zaheer Khan

Meanwhile, the LSG mentor Zaheer Khan said that the way Rishabh Pant has evolved as a cricketer is remarkable, and his understanding of the game has grown amazingly. He also hinted that LSG placed bat on Pant for captaincy.

The former Indian pacer further noted that Rishabh Pant can react to the various situations of the game, and even at such a young age, the wicketkeeper-batter has already done a lot of special things in his career.

Zaheer signed off by saying, “I think this is the right time for him to go one step up as a leader. His positive mindset can have a big impact on a team. But we haven't decided on the captaincy yet. But then he is always a leader. Pant, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, and David Miller are all expected to be part of the leadership group.”