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After a nine year run with the Delhi Capitals in the Indian premier League (IPL), star wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant was finally released by the Capitals ahead of the mega auction for IPL 2025. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), a relatively new stakeholder in the IPL got hold of Pant and acquired him for a record fee of INR 27 crores. However, the entire process of this mammoth signing wasn’t as smooth as it may appear. Pant himself was surrounded by thoughts and reservations before the auction as he revealed the franchise he thought would actually buy him for the season.
Rishabh Pant opens up on his new franchise ahead of the mega auction
In a special discussion, the LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka announced that Pant would be their new captain for the upcoming season. The franchise was earlier led by KL Rahul before they released him after a disappointing end to their previous campaign under him. Pant will now be leading a LSG squad in IPL 2025 which is star-studded with the presence of David Miller, Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Aiden Markram and many others.
However, it was during this announcement that Pant revealed what his thoughts were before the mega auction. According to Pant, he speculated the two teams that would go for the 27-year-old explosive batter and his guess wasn’t far from reality at all.
“Mereko andar se ek hi tension tha, woh tha Punjab (I had only one tension from within and that was Punjab). Second highest (purse) was 82 crore. Punjab had 112 crore. When Shreyas (Iyer) went there, then I thought I could go to LSG. I thought there might be a possibility,” Pant said during a chat at Star Sports.
Also Read: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) appoints Rishabh Pant as captain for IPL 2025
Pant charged up before the upcoming IPL season
Additionally in his discussion with Hotstar, Pant also talked about his feelings after being named as the skipper of LSG ahead of the new seasons and expressed his commitment level towards the franchise.
“Amazing. Right now, I just have one word: I’m overwhelmed. Just as a player, when your owner supports you in this way and helps you, your confidence level and commitment will go to 200%,” LSG’s new skipper added.
LSG owner Goenka additionally talked about the build-up to the moment before he acquired Pant for the LSG, and also talked about the confidence level he had in his mind of getting the star wicket-keeper batter for his side.
“I wanted to get Rishabh Pant, which was the endpoint. I didn’t care about others and their opinions on which team wanted Pant. I was confident I wanted to get Rishabh Pant, and I knew no one could match my bid. I was never stressed. But we wanted Rishabh at all costs, irrespective of the price,” Goenka said.
