Opinion | Rishabh Pant - The Rs 27 Crore Phoenix Who Is Becoming A Mega Brand

Long before the IPL mega auction this year, reports indicated that Rishabh Pant was likely to be the most expensive player. The Lucknow franchise ensured that prediction came true by bidding a staggering Rs 27 Crore. It's hard to imagine that his first IPL contract in 2016 was worth just Rs 1.9 Crore. Those who follow the game closely also quickly realized that Pant's current per-season salary exceeds that of Mumbai Indians' five-time IPL-winning captain, Rohit Sharma (Rs 16.30 Crore), as well as the Rs 21 Crore commitment made by RCB to retain Virat Kohli, who holds the records for the most runs and most centuries in the IPL.

A closer look at this begs the question: Did LSG decide to loosen their purse strings to this extent simply because they needed a captain? 

Some buys of course catch everyone by surprise, but mostly a player's IPL price tag is a very reliable parameter to gauge just how hot a property he is at that time - both on the field for the team and fans and off the field for the sponsors.

The reasons behind teams rushing to buy a player are manifold - current form, overall skills, leadership qualities (for potential captains), impact that the player has had and can potentially have in the future, how mentally malleable the player is so that he can fit into any team culture, age and therefore possible longevity, popularity among fans, corporate brands and social media presence etc. And in the case of some players, it's that very rare x-factor - something that makes them stand out in a crowd. Multiple teams expressed their interest in securing the services of the 27-year-old Pant at the auction this time and the ultimate price tag, that clinched the deal for Lucknow, is one that has never been paid to an IPL player before.

But then, when it comes to Rishabh Pant, there's no doubt that as long as he plays his own unique brand of cricket, he will remain a hot property. And that's the case despite his T20 numbers not exactly being scintillating. His overall IPL batting average stands at 35.31, with eight half centuries and one century. His overall strike rate in the league is just under 149. His T20I average stands at 23.25 and strike rate at 127.26. But what he has in oodles is that x-factor - across formats, along with captaincy experience. And that is priceless. He can win you a match you thought was unwinnable. And that is what has helped Rishabh Pant establish a firm connection with fans and the people who run the business of cricket.

His name evokes both an emotional and practical response. He is not an in-your-face kind of character who will polarise opinions and yet he can shed his cherubic image at the drop of a hat and don the role of a bat-wielding gladiator. People cheer when Pant walks out to bat, regardless of how much he scored in his last outing. According to news reports, he currently endorses 16 brands, with his brand value estimated to be around USD$15 million, which is expected to zoom by 30% or more after his record-breaking IPL price tag. A big fat IPL pay cheque attracts more brands, while overall brand/star value and image is something IPL teams give a lot of weightages to while going after players at auctions. It's a symbiotic relationship.

What brands are eager to cash in on mostly is the connection Pant has made with people and that too rather quickly. From being first truly noticed at the 2016 u-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, to scoring a mammoth 972 runs in 12 innings at an average of 81 in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season at the age of 19, to becoming India's first choice wicket-keeper and cementing his place in the playing XI in all formats. And this connection that he has established is expected to only grow stronger with time. After all he is only 27.

Many cricket experts might find faults with his technique, his rash shot selection, temperament, etc. But nobody can argue that when it comes to panache on a cricket field, with bat in hand - Pant is one of the modern-day trendsetters. He is willing to go into battle prepared to not give an inch. As long as he is out in the middle anything can happen. It's that same attitude, coupled with unbelievable self-confidence and natural talent that saw him score a match winning 89* against Australia in Brisbane, helping India chase down 328 to win the encounter and register their second consecutive Test series win Down Under in 2020-21. It's the same inner strength that sees him execute one-handed sixes and dispatch balls over the boundary while having lost his balance and rolling on the pitch. He is not the most good-looking shot maker by any stretch of the imagination, sure, but boy is he a fighter.

It's that same fighting spirit that saw him make a remarkable comeback to competitive cricket after being involved in a horrific car accident in December 2022. There were some who had serious doubts about whether Pant would ever be able to play again, with the wicket-keeper batter beginning to walk slowly with crutches only about 40 days after the accident. Pant himself though was determined to make the most of what he saw as a second life.

Despite undergoing multiple surgeries, including reconstruction of as many as three ligaments in his right knee and struggling with wrist and ankle fractures, and skin damage, Pant in his head had decided to shave off six months from the timeline that he was given by the highly respected orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine practitioner, Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala. A former India captain, who also came up the ranks in Delhi cricket had confirmed the same to me. Incredibly, Pant returned to competitive cricket for IPL 2024, just 15 months after the accident. Dr. Pardiwala called him "miracle man." A sentiment echoed by Pant himself and Ravi Shastri who had visited Pant in hospital shortly after his accident and saw him covered in bruises and stiches. There were no eyebrows raised when he walked straight back into the Indian team after his recovery for the T20 World Cup this year and was slotted in at Number. 3. 

Pant's attitude towards his recovery and comeback also made him a poster boy of staying positive while the chips are down. Fans everywhere began to look up to him as a phoenix figure. And that helped his overall brand grow as well. According to reports about eight brands joined his portfolio while he was in recovery, unable to even walk properly in the initial months.

No player can become a big brand unless there's something in his or her game that attracts positive attention. And a lot of the credit for Pant's meteoric rise and overall cricketing prowess has to go to his mentor and coach, late Tarak Sinha. Most batting coaches are furious when they see their wards playing shots which are not strictly textbook - at least that's what the norm used to be till T20 cricket became the biggest influencer in town. But then there are some players who have so much latent, natural talent that coaches are reluctant to dull the edges of their attacking instincts.

Celebrated coach and Dronacharya awardee Tarak Sinha, who founded and ran Sonnet Cricket Club in Delhi, was one such coach and Pant one such student. Sinha was an old-world coach, who always put a lot of emphasis on technique and only considered Test players to be truly international cricketers. Interestingly, despite Pant's attacking style of play, it's Test cricket where he has managed to make the biggest impact so far in his career, with 6 centuries in 68 innings with an average of almost 44.

Sinha, who passed away in November 2021, leaving behind a glittering legacy, and former Delhi wicketkeeper Devendra Sharma, a member of the Sonnet coaching faculty, both believed that Pant's free-flowing bat swing-consistent across all formats-is a reflection of his state of mind.

An uncluttered mind: the not-so-secret ingredient in the recipe that transformed an out-of-the-box talent into a celebrated cricketer and a massive brand.

(The author is a former sports editor and primetime sports news anchor. He is currently a columnist, features writer and stage actor)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author