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"Pant and Pooran were keen,": LSG Owner Goenka on reason behind Pathirana deal collapse

Rajgeeta Yadav

Rishabh Pant wanted Matheesha Pathirana to play for LSG [Source: AFP]Rishabh Pant wanted Matheesha Pathirana to play for LSG [Source: AFP]

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant was very eager to sign Sri Lanka young pacer Matheesha Pathirana during the IPL 2026 mini auction on December 16. However, despite their strong interest, the deal did not go through. 

LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka later explained that the franchise had a clear budget limit, and once that limit was reached, they decided not to go any further.

Notably, Pathirana entered the auction with a base price of INR 2 crore. However, his value quickly shot up as multiple teams showed interest. 

LSG owner reveals captain and vice-captain wanted SL pacer

In fact, a three-way bidding war broke out between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Delhi Capitals, and LSG. As the bidding continued, the price climbed rapidly, eventually reaching INR 18 crore. 

At that point, KKR made the winning bid, securing Pathirana as the second-most expensive player of the auction, just behind Cameron Green, who was sold for ₹25.20 crore.

Meanwhile, Goenka revealed that Pant’s strong desire to have Pathirana in the squad was the main reason LSG pushed their bid so high. The franchise went up to INR 17.8 crore, which was just short of the final price. 

However, LSG had already decided that INR 18 crore was the absolute maximum they could afford, and they were not willing to cross that line.

“Yes, our captain and vice-captain were both very keen on Matheesha Pathirana, as was I. We were also very interested in Anrich Nortje. Pathirana was our priority, and we went up to INR 17.8 crore, which was our absolute limit, we didn't have the purse to go beyond that," he said. 

As a result, LSG missed out on Pathirana. However, things worked out well for them later in the auction. When South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje came up for bidding, LSG managed to sign him at his base price, which came as a pleasant surprise for the team management.

Goenka welcomes Anrich Nortje in LSG

Talking about this positive turn of events, Goenka added,

“When Anrich Nortje came up later, we were pleasantly surprised and delighted to secure him at the base price. So overall, it was a very considered, concerted, and well-thought-out decision."

Apart from Nortje, LSG also added Naman Tiwari to their squad. They strengthened their batting by signing young uncapped players Akshat Raghuvanshi and Mukul Choudhary, while Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga was picked up as a bargain deal. 

Ahead of the auction, the franchise had already traded in Mohammed Shami and Arjun Tendulkar. With overseas stars like Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, and Aiden Markram leading their batting charts, LSG still had four overseas slots to fill.