From near-death experience to IPL record breaker: The rise of Rishabh Pant

Pant returned to Delhi Capitals in the 2024 season after 16 months of struggle from a crash that left him with a damaged ligament in his right knee, a hurt wrist and ankle, and abrasions to his back.

He fought back after an intensive rehabilitation programme and time on crutches at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Pant had termed his comeback to the game as “nothing short of a miracle” after a road crash in December 2022, when his car rammed into a barrier, flipped and caught fire near New Delhi.

The wicketkeeper-batter, thousands of miles away in Perth, played a crucial role in India’s first Test against Australia. His vital innings helped give India a fighting total, setting the Men in Blue up for a strong position.

“Rishabh’s history in the IPL and in the sport of cricket is unparalleled in terms of his skill, what he brings to the table,” said Lucknow owner Shashwat Goenka of the record buy. “I think he came at what we had anticipated for him. We are very excited to have him as part of the squad.”

Mega Auction

A total of 574 players are set to feature in the Mega Auction in Jeddah, including 366 Indian and 208 overseas players. Among them are three players from associate nations. The auction will feature 318 Indian uncapped players and 12 uncapped overseas players. A total of 204 spots are up for grabs, with 70 reserved for overseas players.

Shreyas Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title in 2024, initially broke the record set by Australian pacer Mitchell Starc in Dubai last year. He joined Punjab Kings for Rs267.5 million, but his record was quickly surpassed when Pant, as expected, triggered a bidding war.

New Punjab coach Ricky Ponting, who left Delhi Capitals after last season, said they are prepared to make Shreyas Iyer captain if he agrees. “I have worked with him for three or four years at Delhi, and obviously, he is a championship-winning captain from last season,” Ponting said. “We have got someone there that can do the job if that’s the way we decide to go, so I am delighted to have him back.”

Punjab, who had the highest purse after retaining just two players, also secured left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

“We had certain targets coming into the auction as every team does. Arshdeep was obviously the first one. He’s been in our franchise for a number of years. I was really keen to get him back,” the former Australian captain said. “Yuzi is the highest quality Indian spinner in the auction, so we wanted to fill certain gaps with the best players we possibly could. So far, we feel the auction’s gone exactly the way we wanted.”

Venkatesh Iyer’s big return

Later on day one, Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer hit the jackpot, returning to Kolkata for a hefty Rs237.5 million after a fierce bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Venkatesh, a left-hand batter and right-arm medium pacer who was released by Kolkata only to be bought back, became the third-highest buy of the day.

Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, England all-rounder Jofra Archer, and New Zealand pacer Trent Boult returned to their former teams: Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, and Mumbai Indians, respectively.

Australian David Warner, England’s Jonny Bairstow, and India’s Devdutt Padikkal, who didn’t perform well in the Test against Australia, all went unsold. While Delhi Capitals did not pick Warner, they retained fellow Australian opener Jake Fraser-McGurk for Rs90 million.

The two-day mega auction will continue in Saudi Arabia on Monday, where teams will aim to fill the remaining spots.