Punjab Kings mocked Rishabh Pant on social media after their convincing victory over Lucknow Super Giants, referencing his viral post-auction statement.
Punjab Kings’ social media team seized the opportunity to take a playful jab at Rishabh Pant following their commanding win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on Tuesday, April 1. The franchise shared a cheeky post on X (formerly Twitter), recalling Pant’s viral comment made after the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Pant had stirred discussions when he appeared to suggest that he was not particularly eager to play for Punjab Kings. The wicketkeeper-batter was acquired by LSG for a record-breaking sum of ₹27 crore, while PBKS, despite having the biggest auction purse, chose to sign Shreyas Iyer for ₹26.75 crore.
“I had only one tension, and that was Punjab Kings,” Pant had told Star Sports during an interview when asked about his auction expectations. His statement quickly went viral, drawing mixed reactions from fans.
On Tuesday, Punjab Kings responded with a witty post, sharing a video of their captain Shreyas Iyer and writing, “Tension toh auction mein hi khatam ho gayi thi! (The tension had ended in the auction itself).”
Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant have had vastly different starts to their IPL 2025 campaigns with their new teams. Iyer has been in sensational form, smashing 97 runs in PBKS’s win over Gujarat Titans and following it up with an unbeaten 54 against LSG, guiding his team to a successful chase of 172.
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The PBKS skipper has displayed a more aggressive approach this season, addressing previous criticism about his batting despite leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last year. So far, Iyer has hit 13 sixes in just two matches, making a strong statement early in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Pant has struggled to make an impact with the bat, managing only 17 runs across three matches. LSG began their season with a loss to Delhi Capitals but bounced back with a win against Gujarat Titans. However, they were outplayed by PBKS in their first home game of the season in Lucknow.
Despite the heavy defeat, Pant remained optimistic, saying, “We were not good enough on the day. We will learn from it and move forward. Definitely lots of positives, early in the tournament, still figuring out lot of things for the team and hopefully it will come out nicely for us.”
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