Pant becomes most expensive player in IPL history

Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history, signing with Lucknow Super Giants for 27 crore (£2.54m) at the mega auction in Saudi Arabia.

The 27-year-old wicketkeeper, who made his IPL return after a 14-month recovery from a car accident, sparked a bidding war between Lucknow and his former team, Delhi Capitals.

Pant surpassed the earlier record set by Shreyas Iyer, bought by Punjab Kings for 26.75 crore (£2.51m).

Mitchell Starc, previously holding the record, was signed by Delhi Capitals for 11.75 crore (£1m).

Other notable signings included Jos Buttler (15.75 crore) for Gujarat Titans and Liam Livingstone (8.75 crore) for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The auction continues with many more players expected to be signed.