At the ripe age of 27, Indian wicket-keeper batsman has led a full life. Now the Lucknow Super Giants have created history by handing him the heftiest pay-check ever, in the history of the Indian Premier League. Pant has been signed for a whopping Rs 27 crore in the IPL 2025 auction.
So why did Lucknow Super Giants break the bank for Rishabh Pant?
Let us try and understand why the batter deserves the pay check and more. Coming back from near-death after a massive car accident in 2022 that threatened to finish his career, Rishabh Pant scripted a fairy-tale comeback. Since then, the left-hand bat hasn’t put a step wrong.
What has Rishabh Pant’s record been since his comeback?
In the last edition of the IPL, Pant scored 446 runs from 13 matches. A few days after the IPL, he was part of India’s T20 World Cup campaign, scoring a crucial 42 runs against arch-rivals Pakistan. In September, Pant returned to India’s Test set-up and immediately hit form, scoring 109 in the second innings of the Chennai Test. Against New Zealand, series, in which India were whitewashed 0-3, Pant was the only silver lining with scores of 99, 60 and 64.
How has owner Sanjiv Goenka justified the IPL buy?
Well, Goenka says paying Rs 27 crore to Pant isn’t such a big punt after-all. He has even hinted Pant may be leading the team this season. This is how he explained the expensive pick, in an interview.
“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,”
Will Rishabh Pant lead Lucknow this time?
Well, Goenka, has let the suspense linger. “Bataunga, bataunga, very soon. (I’ll let you know). Let the auction get over, and we will tell you. Will inform you all very soon,” Goenka said.
Why are fans making memes about Goenka as a team owner?
Well, he was famously caught on camera in what appeared to be a dressing down for former Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul. Before this, as team owner of the now defunct Rising Pune Super Giants he had sacked India’s iconic captain MS Dhoni, replacing him with Steve Smith.
IPL 2025: The Lucknow Super Giants have created history by handing Rishabh Pant a Rs 27 crore paycheck. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
