Rishabh Pant's cellphone must be going bonkers in Perth after his record-breaking Rs 27 crore Indian Premier League (IPL) pay-cheque took the internet by storm on day one of the auction in Jeddah on Sunday.
The wicketkeeper-batter, who was not retained by Delhi Capitals (DC) and is currently playing the Test series in Australia, was bought by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after an intense bidding war with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi -- taking his base-price of Rs 2 crore to a record rise.
It will be the first time that Pant will move out of his hometown Delhi to play for another IPL side, and it required LSG to empty their pockets, breaking the record set by Australian pacer Mitchell Starc last year with his Rs 24.75 crore bid from Kolkata Knight Riders.
Delhi exercised their Right-to-Match card when LSG reached Rs 20.75 crore, matching Lucknow's bid to keep Pant in their squad. However, LSG raised the stakes once again, pushing their bid to Rs 27 crore. DC, despite their desire to retain Pant, did not use the RTM again to match the final bid.
Also Read: IPL 2025 Full Squad After Pant's long-time association ended with Delhi, the franchise aptly put out a "miss you" tweet to bid farewell to the star wicketkeeper-batter.
The 27-year-old Pant made a comeback to competitive cricket in the IPL earlier this year after more than a year-long recovery following his horror car accident in December 2022.
In 111 IPL matches, Pant has scored 3,284 runs at an impressive average of 35.31 and a strike rate of 148.93, including one century and 18 fifties.
Here's how the fans, franchises and experts reacted to Pant's record deal:
The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the ...
Read MoreThe TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide.
From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more.
The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics.
We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects.
We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.
Read Less