Punjab Kings' performance analyst Saurabh Walkar revealed they "had to go" for Rishabh Pant if his name came up before Shreyas Iyer during the IPL 2025 mega auction. "We wanted to go for either of them because both are marquee players...and captaincy candidates," Walkar said. PBKS acquired Shreyas for ₹26.75 crore, while Pant was sold to LSG for ₹27 crore.