Rishabh Pant Set for Mega Auction After Delhi Capitals Opt Not to Retain Him

Rishabh Pant is set to be a significant name in the upcoming 2025 IPL mega auction after the Delhi Capitals (DC) chose not to retain him. Reports from ESPNcricinfo indicate that negotiations between Pant and DC’s management did not succeed after several months of discussions. DC’s Retained Players Despite Pant’s departure, DC has retained four…


Rishabh Pant Set for Mega Auction After Delhi Capitals Opt Not to Retain Him

Rishabh Pant is set to be a significant name in the upcoming 2025 IPL mega auction after the Delhi Capitals (DC) chose not to retain him. Reports from ESPNcricinfo indicate that negotiations between Pant and DC’s management did not succeed after several months of discussions.

DC’s Retained Players

Despite Pant’s departure, DC has retained four players:

  • Axar Patel (spin bowler)
  • Kuldeep Yadav (spin bowler)
  • Tristan Stubbs (South African batter)
  • Abishek Porel (uncapped Indian wicketkeeper-batter)

DC will have two Right to Match (RTM) cards available at the auction, and they plan to try to buy back Pant. He joined DC in 2016 and became a vital player, eventually taking over the captaincy in 2022. If they cannot reclaim him, they will need to choose a new captain.

Financial Overview

With the retention of three capped players and one uncapped player, DC will spend at least INR 47 crore (18+14+11+4), leaving them with INR 73 crore to build their squad during the auction.

Player Backgrounds

  • Axar Patel has been with DC since 2019 after starting with Punjab Kings (PBKS).
  • Kuldeep Yadav joined in 2022 after five seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
  • Abishek Porel was with the team since 2023.
  • DC retained Pant, Kuldeep, Axar, and Porel before the last auction, where they acquired Stubbs for his base price of INR 50 lakh (approximately $60,000).

Changes in Pant’s Status

The situation regarding Pant’s status with DC has changed dramatically. In the months leading up to the retention deadline, he was expected to be the top retention for the team. However, it appears that not all leadership members wanted him to continue as captain.

Both co-owners of DC, Kiran Grandhi from GMR Group and Parth Jindal from JSW Sports, had meetings with Pant. Although Pant presented his ideas for the team’s future, an agreement could not be reached.


Rishabh Pant Poised to Resign as Captain of Delhi Capitals


Pant’s Captaincy Record

In 2021, Pant became the fifth-youngest captain in IPL history when he took over DC in an interim role before being officially retained until the 2024 season. He led the team in 44 matches, winning 24 and losing 19, while scoring 1,205 runs at an average of 35.44, which is close to his overall IPL average of 35.31, and a strike rate of 143.96, slightly below his IPL strike rate of 148.93.