'27 Was Slightly Up': Goenka Admits Budget Overrun To Get Rishabh Pant In LSG At IPL 2025 Auction

The IPL 2025 Auction made history after a new player was crowned as the most expensive buy in the history of the IPL auction. Flamboyant India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is the new man with the crown after he dethroned Shreyas Iyer, who had initially set the record, in just ten minutes. Iyer had fetched ₹26.75 Cr, but Pant surpassed him after LSG put in a final bid of ₹27 Cr. But LSG's Goenka admitted that they went a bit overboard while placing the final bid.

Lucknow Super Giants Went Slightly Over The Budget To Assure Rishabh Pant Acquisition, Goenka Confirms

Rishabh Pant was sought by several franchises as he was among the marquee set of players in the opening part of the IPL 2025 auction. After the Lucknow Super Giants outbid everyone with ₹20.75, the Delhi Capitals exercised their 'Right To Match' Card for the wicketkeeper-batter. That is when LSG Owner Sanjiv Goenka put the final bid of ₹27 Crore, which DC did not match. During the break, Goenka admitted that they went a little bit over the budget to get the services of Rishabh Pant.

"This was part of our plan, he was on our list. We had kept about Rs 26 crore for him. So, 27 was slightly up but we're happy to have him. He's an outstanding player, a team man, a match-winner. All our fans should be very, very happy to have him as a member of LSG," Sanjiv Goenka's son Saswat said as quoted by PTI.

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When asked how they arrived at the magic number of 27, Saswat Goenka responded that it would have been the best number for us to make sure the RTM Card wasn't exercised by the Delhi Capitals.

"Like Ricky was saying, what happens at the auction table happens at the auction table, no matter how much you planned for it. Things don’t work out that way. It wasn’t really a magic number; it was just what we felt at that moment would have been the right number for us to ensure that the RTM doesn’t get exercised," he added.

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