'Parth Jindal is so crazy…': LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka explains record Rs 27 crore bid for Rishabh Pant

LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka reveals why he bid Rs 27 crore for Rishabh Pant. (Photo: X)

The 2025 IPL auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, turned historic within the first 20 minutes as Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant shattered previous records. For a decade, Yuvraj Singh's Rs 16 crore bid in 2015 remained unbeaten by any Indian cricketer. However, that record was left in the dust in a matter of minutes during the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Shreyas Iyer was the first to make headlines, fetching an astonishing Rs 26.75 crore from the Punjab Kings. This made him the most expensive player in IPL history, surpassing Mitchell Starc's Rs 24.75 crore bid by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2024 season. But his reign was short-lived. Just 11 minutes later, Rishabh Pant was snapped up by the Lucknow Super Giants for an unprecedented Rs 27 crore, setting a new benchmark.

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Less than three weeks after this groundbreaking event, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka shared the strategy behind his bold bid for Pant. Goenka revealed he was well aware of Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal's strong determination to retain Pant. Knowing Jindal would go to great lengths to bring Pant back using the Right to Match (RTM) option, Goenka placed an amount so high that even DC couldn’t match it.

This calculated move exemplified the intense competition and strategic planning that define IPL auctions, making the 2025 edition a historic milestone in cricket's biggest league.

"There was science behind going at 27 Cr for Rishabh Pant. Delhi went at 26.5 Cr for Shreyas Iyer. So, then my feeling was, ‘Parth Jindal is so crazy for Rishabh Pant, he would go one up at the IPL Auction.’ So, the idea was to go two up from Parth, or even three up, and that is where he would stop. For Rishabh, we had calculated three scenarios, and in all of them, he was very important to us," Goenka told Ranveer Allahbadia.

The strategy behind LSG's Rs 27 crore bid for Rishabh Pant

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were in search of a new captain after parting ways with KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant was their top choice. LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka revealed that the franchise had allocated a budget of Rs 25-27 crore specifically for Pant.

When the bidding reached Rs 22 crore and Delhi Capitals (DC) raised their paddle to exercise the Right to Match (RTM) card, Goenka anticipated DC’s aggressive intent. Knowing DC had pushed their limits minutes earlier to secure Shreyas Iyer, LSG decided to go beyond Rs 26 crore, ensuring they outmaneuvered their rivals. The strategic gamble paid off as LSG secured Pant for a record-breaking Rs 27 crore, solidifying their leadership ambitions for the upcoming season.

"We knew we were going to get him, and we had kept between 25 and 27 crores for him in all our planning. So, when the bidding stopped for Rishabh at 21-22 Cr, DC did not waste even a second to use RTM for him. So that means they were willing to go to the full extent that we have to take Rishabh," The owner of the RPSG group said.