Rishabh Pant's retirement plan chalked out by LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have not only made a bold statement by securing Rishabh Pant for a record-breaking INR 27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, but they’ve also outlined a long-term vision for the Indian wicketkeeper’s future with the franchise.

Sanjiv Goenka, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner, has expressed a clear intent to have Rishabh Pant for the next decade or more. Pant’s resilience and determination, demonstrated by his incredible comeback from a life-threatening accident to reclaim his place in the Indian cricket team, has inspired Goenka and the LSG management to break the bank for him.

Sanjiv Goenka eyes a decade-long partnership with Rishabh Pant at Lucknow Super Giants

At just 27 years old, the explosive left-handed batter represents not just a short-term asset but a player capable of shaping the franchise’s legacy in the Indian Premier League (IPL), according to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka.

Read Also: Rishabh Pant to be treated like KL Rahul at LSG? Sanjiv Goenka himself responds

Well, it was not just a high-profile buy, but it’s a strategic investment in a player whose fearless approach and leadership qualities have already earned him recognition worldwide. Goenka said that Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) wants Rishabh Pant to finish his IPL career with the franchise.

I hope he'll be with us till the time he's 40: LSG owner

Sanjiv Goenka was quoted as saying by Times Now: “He (Rishabh Pant) had a fatal accident. Yes. He came out of it and has gone back to form, playing for the country, and now that kind of never-say-die attitude, I think that is something that's not easy to get, and he's only 27. So hopefully he'll be with us till the time he's 37, 38, 39, or 40.”

Sanjiv Goenka wants Rishabh Pant to be with LSG till the end of his career pic.twitter.com/vfdDJMqH2c

— Sandy (@flamboy_pant) November 26, 2024

Notably, Pant has rewritten IPL history by becoming the most expensive player after being snapped up by LSG for an astonishing INR 27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

This record-breaking price has set a new benchmark in the tournament's history. The bidding war was a spectacle, with LSG and Delhi Capitals (DC) fiercely competing to acquire Pant's services in Jeddah.

Read Also: Rishabh Pant Slaughtered!! Delhi Capitals' owner reveals fallout reason

Sanjiv Goenka opens up about Rishabh Pant's signing after IPL 2025 auction

Even Delhi Capitals (DC) used their Right to Match (RTM) card when LSG's bid reached INR 20.75 crore. However, Goenka wasn’t ready to back down, raising the stakes by an additional INR 6.25 crore to secure the dynamic wicketkeeper-batter for a mouthwatering INR 27 crore.

Speaking about this blockbuster move, the LSG owner was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “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 signed off by saying, “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.”