In the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player, surpassing the record held by Shreyas Iyer.
Rishabh Pant Sold For Rs 27 Crore To LSG
On Sunday, December 24, Rishabh Pant sold for Rs 27 crore to the Lucknow Super Giants at the mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. When Punjab Kings outbid other teams in the first round of bidding for the first set of marquee players on Sunday, Shreyas Iyer broke Mitchell Starc’s record (Rs 24.75 crore). Rishabh Pant witnessed a historic bidding war, but the record was broken after just a few minutes.
Delhi Captial RTM Bid For Pant
Remarkably, when the bid was with Lucknow at Rs 20.75 crore, the Delhi Capitals used the Right To Match card for Rishabh Pant. It was anticipated that Delhi would not run after all the rumors of a terrible split between Pant and Delhi. They went ahead and used the RTM card, though. Sanjeev Goenka, the owner of the Lucknow Super Giants, increased the bid to Rs 27 crore because they were unwilling to let Rishabh Pant go. In the IPL 2025, Rishabh Pant is probably going to take KL Rahul’s place as LSG’s captain.
How The Biding War For Rishabh Pant Played Out
- At first, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Lucknow Super Giants engaged in a fierce bidding battle. RCB withdrew from the race at Rs 11 crore, but it didn’t seem like the two would stop.
- SunRisers Hyderabad joined the race with a purse of just Rs 45 crore at the time. LSG stayed in the race and placed a bid of Rs 20.75 crore after SRH withdrew at Rs 20.50 crore.
- To the surprise of many, the owners of the Delhi Capitals raised the paddle for the RTM. But LSG raised an incredible Rs 27 crore.
According to the new IPL auction rules, a bid can be made after the RTM card is raised. The bid can then be matched by the team for whom the player played in the previous season.
