Rishabh Pant's two-word answer to an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction question from Nathan Lyon went viral on social media on Friday. The incident took place during India's innings on the first day of the first Test against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The Indian wicketkeeper on the stump mic has always been a treat to hear, especially in Australia.
Similarly, Pant encountered Australian spinner Lyon during the change of ends after an over. The 37-year-old off-spinner asked Pant “where we going in the auction?” The Indian replied “no idea” with a bright smile on his face.
Meanwhile, Pant's rescue act in Australia continued as his 37 played a part in India saving the blushes. Coming in at a time when India were three down with just 32 runs on board, Pant held at one end and forged a 48-run stand with Nitish Reddy for the seventh wicket to help his side post 150 in the first innings.
As far as Indian Premier League is concerned, Pant is expected to take home big money after being released by Delhi Capitals last month. The southpaw, who returned to competitive cricket in IPL 2024 after a long injury layoff, led Delhi Capitals to a sixth-place finish last season.
One of the captaincy materials up for grabs in the IPL 2025 mega auction, Pant will be the cynosure of all eyes as four franchises will be looking for leaders in the two-day mega event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
At a base price of ₹2 crore, Pant is among the seven Indians in the marquee set for the auction. The left-hander also broke silence on his Delhi Capitals exit a few days ago when Sunil Gavaskar spoke about money being the barrier between the cricketer and the franchise.
"My retention wasn’t about the money for sure that I can say," Pant said to a Gavaskar video posted by Star Sports. Gavaskar in that video said, "What I feel is Delhi Capitals would want Rishabh Pant back in their squad. Sometimes, when a player has to be retained, there are talks between the franchise and players over the fees, as expected.
“As some of the players who have been retained by their franchises, they have gone for more than what the No. 1 retention fee deduction would be. So clearly, I think there may be some disagreement there. But, my feeling is Delhi would want Rishabh Pant back.”
