After becoming the most expensive player in IPL history at the 2025 auction, Rishabh Pant emphasized that money was not his primary focus. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) secured Pant for a massive ₹27 crore after he was released by Delhi Capitals (DC) prior to the auction.
Pant had spent his entire IPL career with DC since his debut in 2016, even serving as the captain from 2021 to 2024, except in 2023 due to injury. On January 20, the 27-year-old was officially named LSG captain.
In an interview with Hotstar after being announced as LSG’s skipper, Pant shared his perspective on the 2025 IPL auction (via India Today):
“The thought process is very simple. When I came to the auction, I did not have any price in mind. It did not matter if I was bought for Rs 5 crore or Rs 10 crore in my head. And I had to convince myself of that. It is not easy, but you have to tell yourself that every day, because you do feel disappointed.”
He further added:
“You have to convince yourself that this (money) is not the priority list; this is only a part of it. Getting that money is amazing, but thinking about it every day should not be the main thing.”
“My Approach to Captaincy Remains the Same”- Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant assured that his approach to captaincy will stay consistent even as he transitions from DC to LSG for IPL 2025. The 27-year-old has captained DC in 43 matches, achieving a solid record of 23 wins and 19 losses (with one tie).
“Yes this is a new team and a new set-up but my ideology of captaining a side doesn’t change. But as a cricketer you are [always] trying to add to your captaincy.”
“If you give confidence and trust in a player, he will do things you can’t even imagine. That’s the ideology we will try to have. We will give them trust, clear communication and lay out what role we have for them,” Pant said (via Hindustan Times).
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