LSG boss Sanjiv Goenka reveals his 'last conversation' with Rishabh Pant before parting ways with the cricketer

Sanjiv Goenka spills the beans on his ‘last conversation’ with Rishabh Pant before he was traded by the Lucknow Super Giants.

Published on: Sep 15, 2026, 17:17:12 IST

Written by Aditya Bhattacharya

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Rishabh Pant’s time with Lucknow Super Giants lasted two seasons. Picked for a record-breaking sum of ₹27.4 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, Pant departed from the franchise after two unsuccessful years, which saw LSG finish seventh and 10th, respectively. Pant himself flattered to deceive, scoring 581 runs in 28 matches across the two seasons.

Sanjiv Goenka spills the beans on his ‘last conversation’ with Rishabh Pant (Screengrab - X)

With things falling apart, the inevitable happened shortly after the conclusion of IPL 2026, when the franchise officially announced that Pant and LSG had mutually decided to part ways. The association appeared to have ended on a cordial note, with owner Sanjiv Goenka now revealing his ‘last conversation’ with Pant and adding a pleasant surprise.

“I said good luck and best wishes, but our last conversation wasn’t only till the contract. We even spoke after that. We have planned to have dinner together sometime. I’m very fond of Rishabh. He has innocence. We will jump out of anywhere and grab you. He will play a prank or something,” he said on the Shubhankar Mishra podcast.

Also Read: ‘Don’t use this marketing line again': Rishabh Pant urged to do more, comparisons with Sehwag and Gilchrist laid bare

That the IPL’s costliest superstar went his way after just two seasons comes with a pinch of salt. It was a whopping sum for one of India’s greatest cricketing entertainers. In between, rumours erupted that Goenka and Pant did not see eye to eye, with some tense visuals of the two, similar to the infamous KL Rahul incident, emerging after the match.

Goenka was vilified on social media, whereas he insists that he is anything but stern. Looking back at the whole deal, whether spending ₹27.5 crore on Pant was the right call in hindsight depends on how one looks at it.

“It’s all very subjective and situation-based. When we paid ₹15 crore for Ben Stokes, it was considered expensive. Was it worth it or not? If you succeed, it pays off. If not, it doesn’t. Rishabh Pant obviously packs a punch. I have always shared a good relationship with Rishabh. People said a lot of things,” he added.

Pant returned to his home franchise of the Delhi Capitals, taking a massive pay cut of ₹12 crore, while LSG acquired the services of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aditya Bhattacharya
Aditya Bhattacharya is the Sports Editor at Hindustan Times Digital, with close to 15 years of experience in sports journalism. Over the course of his career, he has worked with leading media organisations including Cricbuzz, The Times of India, Network18 and Zee. Primarily a cricket writer, Aditya has covered several marquee events, including the 2016 ICC World T20, the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and the 2023 World Cup in India. His reporting portfolio also includes international cricket across England, South Africa and New Zealand, along with forays into tennis, including coverage of the Australian Open. He has interviewed several prominent athletes across sports. Aditya began his career with a brief stint at CricketNext before getting his first major break at Cricbuzz, where he was part of the Times Network’s startup venture GoCricket, which later merged with Cricbuzz. After nearly 18 months there, he moved to The Times of India, covering his first World Cup assignment and reporting first-hand on landmark moments such as Virat Kohli’s iconic innings against Australia in Mohali. During his three-year tenure, he played a key role in both reporting and desk operations and was recognised as TOI Employee of the Quarter in 2016. He later joined Zee, where he covered the 2019 World Cup across five venues in England—an assignment he considers a career highlight. At Hindustan Times, Aditya’s leadership came to the fore as he was promoted to lead the sports team within 18 months. Under his stewardship, the section has delivered extensive coverage of global sporting events, including the IPL, Olympics, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. In 2024, he was named HT DigiStar of the Year. Aditya continues to adapt to the evolving digital publishing landscape, with a sharp focus on search and audience engagement. Outside work, he occasionally plays the guitar and remains an avid gamer.Read More

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