IPL 2025 auction: [Watch] LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka reacts to viral KL Rahul-Rishabh Pant 'boss toxic hai' meme
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka reacted to the 'boss toxic hai' meme that went viral after the franchise purchased Rishabh Pant for a record ₹27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Asked about him being portrayed as a tough boss, he responded saying that he's loving, caring and strict depending on the situation.
LSG released KL Rahul ahead of the IPL 2025 auction amid rumors that all was not well between the player and the franchise boss. During the IPL edition earlier this year, a video of Goenka having an animated chat with Rahul, who captained the franchise from 2022 to 2024, also went viral on social media.
At the IPL 2025 mega auction, Lucknow Super Giants broke the bank for Pant and purchased him for ₹27 crore, making him the costliest player in IPL auction history. Not long after, a meme went viral featuring the duo. The meme has been created in such a way that it appears as if Rahul is warning Pant.
"Dekh Bhai, company achi hai, pay acha hai, par boss bahot toxic hai (Look brother, the company is good, the reputation is good, but the boss is very toxic)," the viral meme reads.
When asked for his reaction on the same, LSG owner Goenka told Times Now during an interview:
"Maine meme nahi dekha hai, but itna keh sakta hoon ki boss loving bhi hai, caring bhi aur tough bhi. Jab love ki zarurat hoti hai to love deta hai. Jab caring ki zarurat hoti hai to caring bhi deta hain. Aur jab daant ki zarurat hoti hai to daant bhi deta hai (I haven't seen the meme, but I can say that the boss is loving, caring and tough as well. When you need love, he gives you love. When you need caring, he gives you caring. Similarly, when you need some scolding, he will scold you too)."
Lucknow Super Giants retained Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan and Ayush Badoni ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. West Indies batter Pooran was their primary retention at ₹21 crore.
Pant, Pooran among potential LSG captaincy candidates for IPL 2025
With Rahul no longer associated with the Lucknow franchise, LSG will need a new leader for the IPL 2025 season. Pant could be a strong candidate to captain the team apart from Pooran, who had an impressive IPL 2024 season, scoring 446 runs in 13 matches.
Apart from Pant, Avesh Khan (₹9.75 crore), David Miller (₹7.5 crore), Akash Deep (₹8 crore) and Mitchell Marsh (₹3.40 crore) were some of Lucknow Super Giants' other big purchases at the IPL 2025 auction.