Redknapp has been strongly linked with a move for Defoe, who is keen to leave Portsmouth and could seal a deal back to White Hart Lane in the next week.
But Pavlyuchenko showed his goalscoring credentials when he netted an impressive brace to give Tottenham the perfect confidence booster going into their Carling Cup semi-final against Burnley next Tuesday.
Redknapp admitted that the FA Cup was third on his list of priorities, but he must have been delighted to see his side end a barren spell of five games without a win.
Despite making a number of changes, it was Wigan who could have opened the scoring after just four minutes.
Antonio Valencia's cross picked out Henri Camara whose close-range header flew inches past the post.
Kevin Kilbane almost struck the ball past his own keeper on 20 minutes after he failed to deal with an inswinging cross from David Bentley, but fortunately for the Wigan skipper the ball flew inches past the post.
Modric, who was playing in a new position alongside Didier Zokora at the heart of the Tottenham midfield, was involved once again on the stroke of half-time when he displayed a great piece of skill on the edge of the box and saw his shot produce a fine save from Richard Kingson diving low to his right.
Bentley came even closer for the home side just seconds later when he cut inside the Wigan defence and fired a blistering 25-yard shot which flew just past the post.
The home side finally broke the deadlock on 52 minutes. Gareth Bale's ball fell to substitute Fraizer Campbell, who took the ball around Kingson but was brought down inside the area by the Wigan keeper.
Referee Alan Wiley had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot and Pavlyuchenko made no mistake in firing the spot-kick into the corner of the net.
Pavlyuchenko then turned provider on 55 minutes and crossed in for his strike partner Campbell, whose fierce header produced a superb one-handed save from Kingson diving away to his right.
Tottenham added a second in comical circumstances when Modric found the net on 76 minutes.
Jamie O'Hara saw his shot cannon back off the post and Modric, who raced into the box, slipped over but was still able to head the ball on the ground into the back of the net.
Wigan pulled a goal back on 88 minutes when Tomasz Cywka flicked the ball on to Camara and he fired it into the corner of the net.
But Pavlyuchenko sealed the victory when he added his second of the game in injury time when he fired a shot past Kingson into the corner of the net.