Team India’s star wicket-batter batter Rishabh Pant has rewritten IPL history by becoming the most expensive player ever, sold for a record Rs 27 crore to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction.
The auction room buzzed with excitement as Rishabh Pant’s name hit the table. The bidding began with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Punjab Kings competing fiercely for the star wicketkeeper. Soon, Lucknow Super Giants entered the bidding war, driving the bids higher, with Sunrisers Hyderabad also making an aggressive push.
Lucknow Super Giants placed a staggering bid of Rs 19.75 crore, prompting Delhi Capitals to exercise their Right to Match (RTM) card to retain Pant. However, Lucknow escalated their bid to Rs 27 crore, forcing Delhi to step back, making Lucknow Super Giants the new home for Rishabh Pant.
Rishabh Pant breaks Shreyas Iyer’s record
Earlier, star middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer held the record as he was sold to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for a record Rs 26.74 crore in the IPL auction.
Iyer, now the second most expensive player in auction history, was at the center of an intense bidding war between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), with the latter emerging the winner in the end.
In 116 IPL matches, Iyer has scored 3127 runs at an average of 32.23 and a strike rate of 127.47. While he is yet to score a century in IPL, his 21 half-centuries highlight his reliability as a batter. Punjab Kings now rely on Iyer’s proven leadership and batting skills to win them the IPL title in the upcoming IPL 2025 season.
Shreyas Iyer began his IPL career with Delhi Capitals, where he led the team to the 2020 final as captain. He later moved to Kolkata Knight Riders, guiding them to a title win in IPL 2024. Despite his success, KKR chose to release him ahead of the 2025 auction,
