In this way, Pant broke the record made a few minutes ago by Shreyas Iyer, who was bought by Punjab Kings for Rs 26.75 crore.
Rishabh Pant created history as the most expensive player in IPL auction history during the 2025 mega auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for a whopping price of ₹27 crore.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals had used their RTM (right to match) card at ₹20.75 crore to retain Pant but Lucknow in response raised the bid to Rs 27 crore, forcing DC to back out. With this record-breaking signing, Pant surpassed the record set moments ago by Shreyas Iyer, who was bought by Punjab Kings for ₹26.75 crore.
Pant was released by Delhi Capitals ahead of this year's auction. He had been part of the Capitals set-up since 2016 and was made the captain ahead of the 2021 season, replacing the injured Shreyas Iyer. Pant was retained as the captain for IPL 2022.
Pant made a comeback in IPL 2024 after recovering from the serious injuries he suffered in a life-threatening car accident in December 2022. Following his comeback, he was made the captain of Delhi Capitals and scored 446 runs in what turned out to be another average season for the team.