In the IPL 2025 auction, Lucknow Super Giants spent ₹69 crore to acquire 19 players, with a staggering 39% of that amount used solely to secure Rishabh Pant. The Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise purchased Pant for ₹27 crore, making him the most expensive player in IPL auction history.
Sanjiv Goenka Opens Up About LSG Captaincy Decision
This investment indicated that LSG envisions Pant as their new captain. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether he will take on the leadership role, as three other players are also in contention. In an interview with Aakash Chopra, Sanjiv Goenka revealed that the franchise has four leadership options in mind. He further added that they have already decided on their new captain and will announce it in the coming days.
“We have four leaders in our team – Rishabh, Pooran, Markram and Mitch Marsh. So it becomes a very strong leadership pool of intellect and thought, and strategy. They are all people who can go with the mindset to win. Rishabh has the hunger and passion to win. So a good team has been built. We are happy. Overall, the balance is also okay and no team is 10 on 10.” says Sanjiv Goenka.
When Aakash Chopra asked if Rishabh Pant would be the captain of LSG or if the franchise was planning to deliver a surprise, Sanjiv Goenka responded, “People get surprised very quickly. According to me, I don’t give surprises. It has been decided, but we will announce it in the next few days.”
In this interview, Goenka also shared that his decision to acquire Rishabh Pant was influenced by the player’s tactical brilliance, which he observed in a video. He was impressed by Pant’s ingenuity during the 2024 T20 World Cup final, where he cleverly slowed the game by pretending to have a hamstring issue.
“I saw a video of Rishabh where he did dramebaazi (acting) on the field. He slowed the momentum. I liked that attitude a lot, that you have that extra thought to change the momentum when everything was going against us by removing the pads. From that time, I had in my mind that if only Rishabh had been in my team,” Sanjiv Goenka told Aakash Chopra.
LSG’s relationship with their first captain KL Rahul lasted for three years. However, Goenka intends to have a long-term association with Rishabh Pant. He mentioned that Pant is currently 27 years old and expressed hope that Pant will remain with LSG as a player for the next 10-12 years.
