Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka recently opened up about his relationship with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Ahead of IPL 2027, Pant was traded to Delhi Capitals for Rs 15 crore, while spinner Kuldeep Yadav joined LSG for Rs 13.5 crore. Pant was signed by LSG at the 2025 mega auction for a record-breaking Rs 27 crore, making him the most expensive player in IPL history. He replaced KL Rahul as the franchise’s captain, but the team endured disappointing campaigns under his leadership, failing to qualify for the playoffs in both the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Recently, Goenka appeared on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast and spoke about his final conversation with Pant before the wicketkeeper-batter rejoined Delhi Capitals.
“Our last conversation wasn’t just about the trade. We have continued to speak even after that,” Goenka said.
Interviewer: When Rishabh was leaving, what was your last convo with him? You both ended things on very happy note.
Goenka: Our last conversation wasn’t just about trade. We keep talking even after that.
Good luck to him & best wishes.We plan to have dinner one of these days. pic.twitter.com/y6M2nx3TwJ
— Drona (@drona_17) September 13, 2026
When asked about the nature of those discussions, the LSG owner replied, “Good luck to him and best wishes. We plan to have dinner one of these days.”
After two largely unsuccessful years, Pant is back in DC colours, just a few weeks after he was relieved off LSG captaincy at his own request. Pant was in the headlines for the wrong reasons in both IPL 2025 and IPL 2026.
Talking about international cricket, the wicketkeeper-batter featured for India last month during the Test series in Sri Lanka, which India won 1-0 after securing victory in the opening Test in Galle. The second Test ended in a draw after Sonal Dinusha batted for five sessions following Sri Lanka’s follow-on, which India had enforced.
During the second Test, Pant overtook legendary captain MS Dhoni in the record books, becoming India’s highest run-scorer as a designated wicketkeeper in away or neutral Tests.
Pant has scored 2,534 runs at an impressive average of over 41, narrowly surpassing Dhoni’s tally of 2,496 runs. Farokh Engineer (1,209), Syed Kirmani (1,109) and Kiran More (901) complete the top five. Pant also overtook Adam Gilchrist to become the third-highest six-hitter in Test cricket.
Featured Video Of The Day
Neeraj Chopra Wins Silver, Yashvir Singh Bronze As India Seal Double Podium In CWG Javelin
Topics mentioned in this article
