Jeddah, Nov 24 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) breaking the bank for a record-setting bid to buy India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant in IPL 2025 auctions was on Sunday termed as "aggressive yet justified" by former India middle-order batter and Delhi Capitals' assistant coach Mohammad Kaif.

Former Delhi Capitals captain Pant was sold to LSG for a whopping Rs 27 crore, the highest-ever bid in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at the Abadi Al Johar Arena here on Sunday.

JioStar Expert Mohammad Kaif, who has worked with Pant while both were at Delhi Capitals, applauded LSG’s aggressive attempt to buy the wicket-keeper batter but claimed it to be a justified move.

"With Rishabh Pant joining LSG, the team has gained both a strong brand value and a recognisable face—an essential factor for any franchise. While LSG does not have many big names apart from (Nicholas) Pooran, Pant’s presence will significantly benefit them. The decision to jump from ₹21 crore to ₹27 crore was aggressive, but it’s a move that seems justified. They now have an Indian captain, and securing Rishabh Pant at ₹27 crore is a worthwhile deal for LSG," said Kaif on JioStar.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) wasted no time in launching the first bid, only to be countered fiercely by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). As the figure climbed, it became evident Pant's value extended beyond his batting and keeping prowess; he is a natural leader and a match-winner.

Just when the bidding seemed to reach its climax, Delhi Capitals (DC) used their Right to Match (RTM) card, momentarily claiming Pant. However, LSG retaliated with a jaw-dropping Rs 27 crore bid, forcing DC to retreat and setting a new benchmark for IPL auctions.

“I think the fact that Shreyas was bid for by Punjab Kings was a planned thing because even if they didn’t go for him, because they had the luxury of having such a big bank, they could have gotten Pant for a little less. I think there was communication where Rishabh really wanted to move on from everything that was DC in the past and go on to other things in life and I think that is why there was less interest from Ponting and Punjab Kings for Pant and more interest in Shreyas,” said 2007 WC winner Robin Uthappa.

Pant, who captained Delhi Capitals in three seasons, was released from the squad ahead of the mega auction as the side retained four players -Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abhishek Porel. The swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman has played 111 IPL games in his career and scored 3284 runs with 18 half-centuries and one century.

The winning bid for Pant surpassed the record set by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for their IPL 2024-winning captain Shreyas Iyer, who was sold to Punjab Kings for a whopping Rs 26.75 crore earlier in the day.