Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fans will still remember the historic moment of the IPL season 18 auction, when owner Sanjiv Goenka bought Rishabh Pant for Rs 27 crore, making him the most expensive player in IPL history. Goenka believed that Pant was the magical player who would explode with the bat, guide the team from behind the wickets and captain LSG to its first IPL trophy. But, not everything went as planned in this crazy IPL t20 cricket league.
After the auction of season 18 of IPL, Goenka had said while talking to the media, “Rishabh Pant is a rare talent you can rely on. He is a match winner, and we believe that he will take LSG to new heights.” But as the tournament progressed, Goenka’s dream started fading away as Pant fails to put a high score on the scoreboard!
In 11 matches, Rishabh Pant only scored 128 runs with an average of 12.80! Here’s a videos of Rishabh pant dismissals throughout this season in video on X, and from this you check these figures do not seem to be of a player worth Rs 27 crores, but of a struggling cricketer. Apart from the only half-century (63 runs) played against Chennai Super Kings, Pant’s bat remained completely silent this season of IPL. He could not make any special impact in wicket-keeping as well. The biggest shock came when Pant got out in a strange manner in Dharamsala against Punjab Kings and left Goenka with his head in his hands. While playing a shot, his bat slipped from his hand, and he was caught out. The camera immediately turned towards Goenka, who was sitting with a disappointed face, sipping from a bottle of water.
Social media storm: “27 crore scam!”
This is where the flood of memes started on social media platforms X. One user wrote, “Goenka ji must be sitting with a calculator right now – dividing Pant’s 27 crores by every ball he played!” Someone joked, “This is Pant’s ‘revenge’ on Goenka… Just like he did with KL Rahul last year, Pant is doing the same this time!” Some even said that “Goenka could have bought 2-3 great players for 27 crores!”
Did the pressure really overwhelm Pant?
Apart from memes, some cricket experts believe that the pressure of such a huge amount and the owner’s expectations took a toll on Pant’s performance. Former Indian player Ambati Rayudu said, “When a player is bought for such a huge amount, he starts putting extra pressure on himself. Rishabh probably got caught in the same trap.” At the same time, some sources in the team claim that Goenka’s strict attitude was also affecting Pant’s morale.
Goenka’s anger and then love?
After consecutive defeats of LSG, there were reports of tension between Goenka and Pant. After a match, there was a heated argument between the two, which went viral. But interestingly, on some occasions Goenka was seen hugging Pant or even joking with him. After the loss against Mumbai Indians, he was seen playing with the robotic dog ‘Champak’ with Pant, which clearly showed that the team management is trying to reduce the tension.
Now what? Pant’s future and LSG’s strategy
Looking at the performance so far, the chances of LSG reaching the playoffs are very low. Currently the team is not is not even in top 6 of IPL 2025 point table. Fans on social media are demanding that Goenka should release Pant, and in the next season buy 2-3 in-form and talented players like 2 batters and 1 bowler. Cricket experts believe that Goenka took a big risk this time by getting carried away by emotions, which backfired.
As we have checked Goenka’s reaction during the live streaming of match, we think that he will release Rishab Pant from LSG and try to bring 2-3 explosive and in-form players in upcoming IPL auction. From current analysis, it looks Vaibhav Suryavanshi might join LSG in IPL 2026 as Goenka is quite impressed with this young player.
Wrapping
The truth is that there is no guarantee in cricket. Goenka must have thought that LSG would shine under Pant’s captaincy, but the rule of the game is – sometimes win, sometimes lose. Now it is certain that Goenka will hardly take such a risk in the next season’s auction. And Pant? This season has become a big lesson for him. In the world of cricket, the one who is a hero today can become a zero tomorrow… only form and figure speak!
This is the story of Sanjiv Goenka’s gamble vs Rishabh Pant’s struggle—a high-stakes IPL drama where dreams, pressure, and expectations collided, leaving behind lessons harder than a Goenka glare and heavier than Pant’s ₹27 crore price tag!
