INDIAN wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history on Sunday (24), fetching a record £2.54 million at the auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Teams competed fiercely over 577 players during the two-day event, with top international and domestic cricketers on offer.
Pant’s record-breaking bid came from the Lucknow Super Giants, surpassing the previous record set earlier in the day when the Punjab Kings acquired Shreyas Iyer for £2.52m. Iyer, who led the Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title this year, had previously held the record for the highest bid at the auction.
Punjab’s new coach, Ricky Ponting, expressed his excitement about Iyer joining the team and hinted that he may be made captain. “I have worked with him three or four years at Delhi, and obviously he is a championship-winning captain from last season,” Ponting said. “We are delighted to have him back.”
Lucknow Super Giants owner Shashwat Goenka praised Pant’s cricketing pedigree, saying, “Rishabh’s history in the IPL and in the sport of cricket is unparalleled in terms of his skill and what he brings to the table. We are very excited to have him as part of the squad.”
Pant returned to competitive cricket earlier this year after recovering from a serious car accident in December 2022. He parted ways with the Delhi Capitals after captaining the team in the last IPL season Read More….
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