'Pant-Powered' Lucknow Shatters Records

The IPL 2025 auction will forever be etched in the memories of cricket fans around the world as the event witnessed the highest bids in its history The two-day auction extravaganza left the cricket fraternity stunned with its jaw-dropping figures that showed no signs of slowing down on either day The biggest steal of the auction came in the form of India's ace wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant who was lapped up by Lucknow Super Giants for a staggering sum of Rs 27 crore This monumental figure not only set a new record for the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League IPL but also marked the end of Pant's nine-year-long association with Delhi Capitals The 25-year-old began his IPL career with Delhi Capitals back in 2016 and has been a vital cog in their batting lineup ever since

Pant's association with Delhi Capitals was a fruitful one that saw him grow from a young talented cricketer to one of the top batters in the world The wicketkeeper-batter amassed 2839 runs at a strike rate of over 147 from 104 matches with two centuries and 21 half-centuries to his name However things took a dramatic turn during the IPL 2025 auction when Lucknow Super Giants expressed their interest in acquiring the services of the Indian international The bidding war for Pant's services intensified with Lucknow Super Giants eventually outbidding Delhi Capitals to snap up the Indian star for a whopping Rs 27 crore

Not too far behind in the pecking order was another top Indian batter Shreyas Iyer who was snapped up by Punjab Kings for a staggering Rs 2675 crore Iyer's addition is expected to provide a much-needed boost to Punjab Kings' batting lineup which struggled to find the right combination of batters throughout the 2024 season of the IPL Despite being plagued by injuries Iyer managed to score 2505 runs at a strike rate of over 122 from 204 innings The 28-year-old also has seven half-centuries and a couple of centuries to his name

Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings were not the only franchises that splurged big amounts on top players during the IPL 2025 auction Kolkata Knight Riders Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals also spent heavily in their pursuit of acquiring top talent for the upcoming season As the teams look to pick their strongest possible combinations for the 2025 season the fans can barely hold their breaths ahead of what promises to be an exciting and action-packed season of the IPL