Pant Rahul Sanjeev Goenka

The IPL mega auction 2025 has commenced on November 24. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) took India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant under their wing by splurging Rs 27 crore on him at the Indian Premier League (IPL) Mega Auction on Sunday. This has been the most expensive ever buy at an IPL, surpassing PBKS’ bid of Rs 26.75 crore earlier in the day. Pant is presumably replacing India teammate KL Rahul at LSG.

A bidding war at the auction for Pant took everyone by surprise when Delhi Capitals even pulled out the RTM card for the southpaw when LSG finalized the deal at Rs 20.50 crore. LSG, however, made a shocking Rs 27 crore final bid for Pant. Delhi Capitals had no choice but to back out.

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rishab-pant 27 crores
fortuneindia

LSG released KL Rahul before the IPL 2025 auction amid rumors of a rift between the player and the franchise boss, Sanjiv Goenka. with the latter parting company with the franchise After a three-year association with the company, KL Rahul parted ways before the auction after captaining the franchise from 2022 to 2024. LSG did not retain Rahul as the franchise to fail to qualify for the playoffs last season.

Earlier, a video of Goenka having an animated chat with Rahul went viral on social media

During the IPL edition earlier this year, when the franchise lost a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was seen in the video having an animated chat with Rahul. Goenka looked upset with the team’s performance in the match as SRH chased down 166 in just 9.4 overs.

Goenka and KL Rahul viral video
Twitter

A meme went viral on social media where Rahul is apparently telling Pant that Goenka can be a tough (toxic) boss

Soon after the auction, social media was flooded with memes, the one that went viral was a post referring to Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of LSG, as a “toxic boss”.

The meme has been constructed in such a way that it appears as if Rahul is warning Pant about Goenka. The meme read,

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“Dekh Bhai, company achi hai, pay acha hai, par boss bahot toxic hai (Look brother, the company is good, the reputation is good, but the boss is very toxic)”

Goenka on being a tough boss

During an interaction on Times Now, when Goenka was confronted and asked about the same, he said that he hadn’t come across the meme. The LSG owner confessed that he can be a tough boss when needed. Goenka said,

“Maine meme nahi dekha hai but itna keh sakta hoon ki boss loving bhi hai, caring bhi aur tough bhi. Jab love ki zarurat hoti hai to love deta hai. Jab caring ki zarurat hoti hai to caring bhi deta hain. Aur jab daant ki zarurat hoti hai to daant bhi deta hai (I haven’t saw the meme but I can re-affirm that the boss is loving, caring and tough as well. When you need love, he gives you love. When you need caring, he gives you caring. Similarly, when you need some scolding, he will scold you too)”

Sanjiv-Goenka
cricketaddictor

Here is how netizens reacted to the situation

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LSG retained Mayank Yadav, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, and Ayush Badoni ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran was their primary retention at ₹21 crore.

Did you catch up with the IPL 2025 mega auction? Let us know in the comments.

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Ananya Bose
Ananya Bose
A postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, Ananya is a passionate writer with an experience of three years in Content Writing. She is known for her insightful research, in-depth knowledge, and engaging writing style. Her attention to detail and ability to capture the attention of the readers is worth mentioning. She is enthusiastic about the entertainment industry and is passionate about writing on TV, Bollywood, and celebrity gossip. She is also well-versed in search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and can adapt her writing style for the target audiences.
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