'Did we want to have the most expensive player?' - LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka reveals real motive behind buying Rishabh Pant in mega auction 2024

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) grabbed Rishabh Pant in the mega auction 2024 for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was a great deal for the franchise because Pant is a captaincy candidate and has a long future ahead. So going after him for 27 crores was worth it.

He became the highest-paid player in the tournament after the auction. While talking to Cricbuzz, LSG's co-owner Sanjiv Goenka revealed that they had no plans of buying Pant for such a high price and it just happened because they needed a good player.

"This was not about one individual player. It was not about egos. Did we want to have the most expensive player? No. This does not mean very much to the franchise," said Goenka to Cricbuzz.

Pant is a phenomenal player and has already captained Delhi Capitals in the previous season of the IPL. Hence, he has a fair amount of knowledge of how things work in the tournament from a captaincy position. There is Nicholas Pooran as well in LSG's squad who can become the skipper since he was retained. The franchise owners haven't given a confirmation on the captaincy part yet and the fans will have to wait until the start of the IPL.

It is about somebody who brings dynamism, a never-say-die attitude: Sanjiv Goenka

Sanjiv Goenka heaped praises on Rishabh Pant and his never-giving-up attitude. He mentioned that this is the right kind of attitude they were looking for in a player for their team and Pant has it. Goenka revealed that they were looking for match winners and they have got that in the left-handed batter.

"It is about somebody who brings dynamism, a never-say-die attitude. The very fact that he recovered from a near-fatal accident and came back to top form shows his resilience and determination. That is the kind of attitude we want. We want people who have an appetite to win and have a track record of winning," added Goenka