Rishabh Pant Becomes the Most Expensive Player in IPL Auction History

Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant has made history in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction by becoming the most expensive player ever. In the live auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Lucknow Super Giants purchased the wicketkeeper-batsman for $3.2 million (approximately 270 million Indian Rupees).

The amount paid by Lucknow Super Giants for Pant translates to more than 88 crore Pakistani Rupees. Pant’s successful bid surpassed the previous highest bid for Shreyas Iyer, made just minutes earlier by Punjab Kings, which was $3.17 million (approximately 267 million Indian Rupees). Thus, Shreyas Iyer briefly held the title of the most expensive IPL player before being overtaken by Pant.

The auction, which took place in the first phase of IPL 2025, saw several notable bids. Prior to this, Delhi Capitals had offered a retention bid of 20.75 crore Indian Rupees for Pant under the “Right to Match” (RTM) card, but Lucknow’s higher bid of 27 crore Indian Rupees forced Delhi to withdraw from the auction.

Pant, who has been a part of Delhi Capitals since 2016, will now join the Lucknow Super Giants. Delhi had made Pant the captain in 2021 following Shreyas Iyer’s injury and retained him as captain for the 2022 season. After recovering from severe injuries in a car accident in December 2022, Pant made his IPL comeback in 2024 and scored 446 runs for Delhi Capitals.

Before Pant’s record-breaking bid, the most expensive player in the December 2023 IPL auction was Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for 24.75 crore Indian Rupees. Prior to Starc, Australian cricketer Pat Cummins had been the highest-paid player, purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 20 crore Indian Rupees, while English all-rounder Sam Curran was bought by Punjab Kings for $2.23 million, holding the record before the likes of Cummins and Starc.

Pant’s move to Lucknow Super Giants marks a significant shift in IPL dynamics, as he takes on a new challenge in the upcoming 2025 season.