Meet Kiran Kumar Grandhi, fans call him ‘bigger mastermind than Chanakya’ after forcing LSG to buy Rishabh Pant for Rs 270000000 at IPL 2025 Mega Auction

Delhi Capitals walked away happy from the two-day IPL 2025 Mega Auction which culminated in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday. One man who did his reputation no harm was DC co-owner and chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi, who was dubbed as a ‘mastermind bigger than even Chanakya’ after his fierce battle of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer to jack their prices up to record level on the opening day of the IPL auction.

Grandhi was engaged in great battle for the two India cricketers Pant and Iyer. DC were desperately trying to bring back Iyer to the side, after the he had led the side to the IPL 2020 final but since then moved on to Kolkata Knight Riders, where he led Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s team to the IPL 2024 crown.

Grandhi and Preity Zinta’s Punjab Kings franchise fought hard over Iyer but it was PBKS massive budget that held sway as Iyer became IPL’s second-most expensive player ever at Rs 26.75 crore – up from his base price of Rs 2 crore.

While Grandhi couldn’t reach a consensus to retain Pant before the IPL auction, DC decided to utilize the ‘Right to Match’ option. Lucknow Super Giants could have had Pant for around Rs 22 crore but for Grandhi’s masterstroke with the RTM card.

As a result, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was asked his final bid for Pant, which needed to be jacked up to Rs 27 crore to ensure his move to Lucknow. While PBKS and LSG had to buy Iyer and Pant for humongous amounts, Grandhi brought home former Lucknow and Punjab captain KL Rahul for just Rs 14 crore.

“This guy bought KL Rahul for 14 crore and sold Rishabh Pant for 27 crore and Shreyas Iyer for 26.65 crore. He is a bigger mastermind than Chanakya. KL Rahul at 14 cr is a steal deal,” one fan tweeted.

 

This guy bought KL Rahul for 14 crore and sold Rishabh Pant for 27 crore and Shreyas Iyer for 26.65 crore.He is a bigger mastermind than Chanakya.KL Rahul at 14 cr is a steal deal. pic.twitter.com/683Tn3BSgt

— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) November 24, 2024

It is now expected that either KL Rahul or all-rounder Axar Patel will be leading the DC franchise in the IPL 2025 season.

Who is Kiran Kumar Grandhi?

He is the younger son of GMR group owner GM Rao and has been on their board since 1999. The 49-year-old entrepreneur has been a driving force in GMR Group’s success, particularly in securing large-scale infrastructure projects through strategic Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) with Central and State governments.

His leadership helped GMR Group win bids for key international airport projects in Hyderabad, Delhi, Istanbul, and Male, and in accelerating the development of Delhi Airport’s Terminal 3. As chairman of Urban Infrastructure & Highways, Grandhi also oversaw the management of approximately 1,200 kilometers across 10 highway projects.

With DC is co-owned by GMR Group and JSW Sports, according to a deal between them, Grandhi will be managing how the Delhi Capitals side is run in the IPL for the next couple of years while JSW Sports will be managing the DC women’s team in WPL.