IPL 2025: LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka spills the beans on Rishabh Pant's batting position

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka has dropped a hint about Rishabh Pant's potential batting position after acquiring the services of the star wicketkeeper-batter during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction last month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history when the Super Giants roped him in for a whopping INR 27 crore. LSG is set to be Pant's second IPL home after the 27-year-old spent eight seasons at Delhi Capitals.

Goenka recently said that Pant could open the innings or bat at No. 3 for Lucknow in the IPL next year. He named South Africa's T20 captain Aiden Markram and Australia's T20 skipper Mitchell Marsh as other potential options to open the batting.

"Options are to open with Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh, Marsh and Rishabh Pant, or Markram and Rishabh. Now that is a call they have to take whether Rishabh will come at No. 3 or No. 2. Those are calls that frankly are beyond my capability and competence," Goenka said in the interaction with Aakash Chopra on his YouTube.

Also Read: Our auction was excellent, we have four leaders in our team: LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka

Interestingly, Pant has only opened the batting on four out of the 110 innings he has played in the cash-rich league. He has scored 104 runs at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 136.84.

Goenka also said that England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler was on LSG's radar as they were on the lookout for explosive openers. Buttler eventually joined Gujarat Titans for INR 15.75 crore.

"We had prepared three scenarios. One was with Rishabh Pant and Jos Buttler. So the idea was to go with an explosive opening pair that gives 60 to 85 runs in the powerplay. Jos was in lot one. So if we had succeeded, that was the way we would have gone. We did not get that," he replied.

Pant and Nicholas Pooran are being considered by experts and fans as potential captaincy choices for LSG. Goenka said that the decision has been made and will be announced within the next few days.

"People get surprised very quickly. According to me, I don't give surprises. It has been decided but we will announce it in the next few days," Goenka replied.