Rishabh Pant breaks IPL auction record

Star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history Sunday.

The 27-year-old, Pant, was sold for a record $3.2 million to Lucknow Super Giants, surpassing record purchase of Shreyas Iyer by Punjab Kings.

Earlier in the auction, Kings fetched former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer for a record $3.17 million.

Previously, in 2023 Kolkata paid a record 247.5 million rupees to purchase Australian Mitchell Starc.

A total of 577 players are up for grabs at the two-day auction in Jeddah, with Pant, England veteran James Anderson and New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra among the top names.

Iyer, 29, captained Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL crown this year.

The IPL reported Lucknow Super Giants paid a “gigantic” 270 million rupees for 27-year-old star keeper Pant.

“Rishabh’s history in the IPL and in the sport of cricket is unparallelled in terms of his skill, what he brings to the table,” Lucknow owner Shashwat Goenka, said of the record buy.

Pant made an impressive return to competitive cricket in this year’s IPL after a serious car crash in December 2022.

This year, Australian left-arm quick Starc was not retained by Kolkata — and went to Delhi for $1.39 million.

Interestingly, Australian David Warner and England’s Jonny Bairstow went unsold, but could be brought back later in the auction.