5 big statements made by LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka in recent podcast
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka made some startling revelations during his appearance on 'The Ranveer Show' podcast. Goenka has been a polarizing figure for his comments to the media about various subjects, including cricket.
Goenka spoke extensively about Indian cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the podcast, which has triggered mixed reactions from fans. On that note, let's look at five big statements made by Sanji Goenka in the recent podcast.
#1 "Shareef insan hai" - Sanjiv Goenka on his relationship with KL Rahul
The Lucknow Super Giants announced wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul as their skipper for their debut IPL season in 2022. While he reportedly had a mixed relationship with the India star, Goenka reserved high praise for Rahul, calling him a 'shareef insaan'.
"KL Rahul has always been family for me and he will remain that way. He captained Lucknow for three years and have shown great results during his tenure. I genuinely wish for his good, no matter what happens," Goenka said on the podcast.
"Shareef insan hai (He is a good person). He is a very honest person and I wish that everything good happens to a honest person like him. He is also very talented and I wish he displays his talent to the world. I am very sure he will do well. My best wishes are with him," he added.
#2 Goenka on rationale behind splurging INR 27.5 crore on Rishabh Pant
Team India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was released by the Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. He was expected to pocket a mammoth pay cheque and quite expectedly became the costliest player ever at the auction, with LSG splurging INR 27.5 crore for his services.
Explaining the rationale behind spending so much money on Pant, Sanjiv Goenka said:
"There was science behind going at 27 Cr for Rishabh Pant. Delhi went at 26.5 Cr for Shreyas Iyer. So, then my feeling was, ‘Parth Jindal is so crazy for Rishabh Pant, he would go one up at the IPL Auction.’ So, the idea was to go two up from Parth, or even three up, and that is where he would stop. For Rishabh, we had calculated three scenarios, and in all of them, he was very important to us."
Goenka further stated that the idea was to go all out for Pant because they wanted to build the team around an Indian.
"However, whatever the circumstances were, they did not retain him, or Rishabh was not willing to be retained. It is not right for me to discuss that or comment on it, but they were keen. If you look at Parth’s reaction, it is more like the deal is done. Looking at all this, we thought 27 Cr was a safe bid. Had Rishabh not come to us, LSG would have missed an Indian anchor around whom the entire team is built," he added.
#3 Goenka speaks on his public altercation with KL Rahul
The Super Giants owner had an animated chat with Rahul after Lucknow were thrashed by the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) during an IPL 2024 game. It was a must-win game for LSG. However, they were punished for their timid approach.
After the game, Sanjiv Goenka was seen having an animated chat with Rahul, which didn't go well with fans and cricket experts. Sharing light on the incident in the recent podcast, Goenka said:
"There are moments when you have sentiments and there is an expression to that sentiment. But that doesn't impact the relationship. Or shouldn't impact the relationship. Mere dil se toh main itna hi kahunga ke izzat bhi hai aur pyaar bhi hai (I'd say that I have respect and love for him)."
#4 Sanjiv Goenka sheds light on sacking MS Dhoni as RPSG skipper after IPL 2016
Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni was the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPSG) captain during their debut season in 2016. Pune and the Gujarat Lions were the two franchises that featured in the IPL for two seasons after the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were banned.
RPSG had an awful outing in IPL 2016, finishing second from bottom. Ahead of IPL 2017, Dhoni was sacked as skipper and Steve Smith was appointed as new captain.
Goenka recently revealed that Dhoni hadn't spoken a word about the captaincy change and they still shared a good relationship.
"He has not spoken a word and will not. And it's a private relationship. It's a communication that was between two individuals, and two individuals concluded. And that was that. What is important is, that this relationship is still very good," the LSG owner added.
#5 Goenka opens up on Virat Kohli-Naveen-ul-Haq spat
The verbal spat between Virat Kohli and Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq was one of the highlights of IPL 2023. The fight turned ugly as former LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir also got into a heated argument with Kohli and the players had to intervene to separate them.
Goenka revealed what he told the young fast bowler after the incident. He said:
"That situation took place during a game. So I will not comment on whether it was right or wrong. It is easy to be judgmental but it is not for us to judge. I just told Naveen that if you need any support or you are feeling insecure, we are there to support you."
"But it is not about showing that you have the spirit to fight. If I was in your position, I would have said - You said this to me. Now I will bowl in such a manner that I will take all of your team's wickets," Goenka concluded.