Punjab Kings have kicked off their IPL 2025 season in style, winning their first two matches and landing themselves in a strong second place on the points table. It all went down on Tuesday night when they took on Lucknow Super Giants in an away game, emerging victorious. After their win, the Punjab Kings couldn’t resist having a bit of fun on social media. They took a jab at Rishabh Pant, the captain of LSG, by recalling a funny moment from his earlier interview.
So, let’s rewind. Pant was introduced as the captain of Lucknow Super Giants back in January. During that announcement, he shared how anxious he felt during the IPL mega auction last year. He couldn’t shake off the worry that Punjab Kings, with the biggest budget of Rs 110.5 crore, might snag him. It was a lighthearted moment when he mentioned how relieved he was when Punjab decided to spend Rs 26.75 crore to recruit Shreyas Iyer instead. “Internally, I had only one tension, that was Punjab,” he said, laughing at the situation.
Pant went on to explain how the whole auction scenario kept him on edge. He thought, “If Shreyas went to Punjab, maybe I’d find a home at LSG.” But he knew how unpredictable auctions can be. He ended with a hopeful tone, “Sometimes, you just have to sit back and see what happens. So, I was keeping my fingers crossed,” he said while reflecting back on the Star Sports show.
Lucknow then made a splash by paying a jaw-dropping Rs 27 crore to bring Pant on board, turning him into the most expensive player in IPL auction history. Sadly for him, his captaincy hasn’t started off too well. Out of three matches, he’s only managed to win one and has scored a total of just 17 runs, which includes a duck in one of the games. His struggle continued in the match against PBKS where he only managed 2 runs before Glenn Maxwell sent him packing.
Following the win against Lucknow, Punjab Kings couldn’t help but poke a little fun at Pant. They cheekily posted on X, “Tension toh auction mein hi khatam ho gayi thi! (Our worries ended at the auction itself)”, accompanied by a clip of their captain Shreyas Iyer.
𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 toh auction mein hi khatam ho gayi thi! 😉 pic.twitter.com/TnWcg5MxdM
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 1, 2025
Later on, Pant was spotted having a lively conversation with LSG’s owner, Sanjiv Goenka. Meanwhile, Lucknow’s fortunes took a hit, dropping them down to sixth place on the points table, and they’re gearing up for their next challenge against the Mumbai Indians, who are five-time champions. It’ll be interesting to see how Pant and his team respond after a rough start.
