Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka revealed that Rishabh Pant was the focal point of their strategy for the IPL 2025 auction. He explained that the franchise initially targeted Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal as their next acquisitions but was unable to secure either player.
LSG successfully purchased Pant for a massive ₹27 crore at the auction. However, Gujarat Titans (GT) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) outbid LSG to sign Buttler for ₹15.75 crore and Chahal for ₹18 crore, respectively. In a video on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, the former India opener inquired about LSG’s approach at the auction.
“You have a plan A, you have a plan B, and you have a plan C. Rishabh was fixed in all our plans – A, B and C. The first plan was to go with Rishabh and Jos. So these were the two key players. We didn’t succeed in getting Jos. The second was Rishabh, then Yuzi. We didn’t succeed,” he responded (6:00).
The chairman of the RPSG group mentioned that LSG had to opt for their third choice, which involved selecting an all-Indian seam attack and a strong middle order.
“We aim to give players the freedom to play their natural game”- Sanjiv Goenka discusses his approach as the owner of LSG
In the same video, Aakash Chopra asked Sanjiv Goenka if he consulted Rishabh Pant regarding player selections for the auction and his approach as an owner during the tournament.
“There was a dialogue for sure. Eventually, our job is to create a team. After that, it’s over to the coach, the mentor, and the captain. We as owners do recognize that there are 14 games, you aren’t going to win all of them, and cannot win as well,” he replied (7:15).
“You are going to win some, you are going to lose some, as long as you win enough to qualify to begin with, and then it’s anybody’s game once you have qualified. So our attempt is to leave players and let them play their natural game, and if you lose, you lose fighting, you don’t lose surrendering,” Goenka added.
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