Team India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant created history at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction in Jeddah when he became the most expensive player ever in the history of the T20 league. Lucknow Super Giants splurged aggressively and bought Pant for a record amount of Rs 27 crore.
During the bidding process, LSG had edged ahead and settled for a bid of Rs 20.75 crore for Pant but Delhi Capitals used their ‘Right to Match’ card immediately. However, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka raised the bid to Rs 27 crore and DC decided they couldn’t match that.
But contrary to popular opinion, Pant will not be getting this entire Rs 27 crore. In the IPL 2025 auction, all players that were bid on have to sign contracts. The amount paid by the franchise team represents the total salary over the contract duration.
So Lucknow may have secured Pant for Rs 27 crore but the Indian government will be deducting Rs 8.1 crore from this amount as tax from the Indian wicketkeeper’s total contract value. After deduction, Pant is expected to get around Rs 18.9 crore salary per annum.
Even Bollywood star and Punjab Kings co-owner had joked about how their biggest buy – Shreyas Iyer – will also have to pay tax on his big pay. Iyer was bought for Rs 26.75 crore by PBKS – the second-most expensive player in the history of IPL.
However, Iyer will need to pay tax of around Rs 8.03 crore on his total salary. The Indian batter’s net salary after deduction is expected to be around Rs 18.72 crore
“Sorry Shreyas ”#PBKS owner Preity Zinta reacts to the team’s buys and much more!#TATAIPL #JioCinemaSports #IPLAuctiononJioStar pic.twitter.com/uYocSEZBHj
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) November 26, 2024
Pant had beaten all odds to make a successful comeback to international cricket after a life-threatening car accident in 2022. He is expected to lead LSG in IPL 2025, which will begin on March 14.
If Rishabh Pant sustains an injury during the course IPL 2025 or subsequent seasons, he will receive his full salary. However, if an injury occurs before the T20 league, preventing his participation, the franchise holds the right to replace him with another player.
In the case of a pre-tournament injury, foreign players are not compensated. If an Indian player is injured while on assignment with Team India, rendering them unavailable for the IPL, they will receive full payment for the season, covered by the BCCI’s insurance policy.
