Follow UsOn the day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction, India were in the middle of a Test series in Australia. Rishabh Pant, a key member of the side, had already opted out of being retained by the Delhi Capitals (DC) and was looking for a new franchise.
Within the first hour of the auction, the wicketkeeper-batter became the most expensive player in the tournament's history when Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bought him for INR 27 crore.
“First, I was just waiting for my name. When it started, we were practising, I can’t recall exactly. The auction had started, with phone on international roaming and the internet on. I was sitting and watching the auction. I didn’t know that the auction was going to be on TV. We enjoyed everyone’s success in the team," Pant said recalling what he was going through when the auction was on Hotstar.
“I was confused whether I should watch or not. I was watching it with Rohit [Sharma] bhai. I mentally told myself that I wouldn’t watch after INR 15 crore. It was my first IPL Auction experience after a long time, so I hadn’t experienced that a lot. I was excited and nervous, and eventually, LSG won the bid.”
Pant also revealed that he knew one of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). But when PBKS got Shreyas Iyer, he was certain that LSG would lahnd him.
“From inside, I was only tensed about one thing: Punjab Kings. When Shreyas went to PBKS, it was clear that I was going to LSG. There might be possibilities, and with the auction, you never know. I had my fingers crossed on where I will be going," he said.
After leading DC, Pant will embark on a new journey where he will lead LSG in the upcoming edition. “I want an atmosphere where the players would want to come and play for the franchise. It is a give-and-take thing; you expect something from the franchise as a player," Pant said, speaking of his captaincy style.
"I like to play percentage cricket, and that’s how I would like to play this season. If we won 60% of the matches, we are still there. I want that thought process to be clear.”
Pant, who has played for Delhi since 2016, has scored 3,284 runs in the IPL at a strike rate of nearly 149, with 19 50-plus scores to his name.