Pant to Enter IPL 2025 Mega Auction After Being Released by Delhi Capitals

New Delhi: Rishabh Pant is set to be one of the high-profile players in the 2025 IPL mega auction after Delhi Capitals (DC) decided not to retain him.

According to ESPNcricinfo, discussions between the DC ownership group and Pant extended over the past few months, with talks ending on Wednesday without a resolution. The franchise has instead retained four players: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and uncapped Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Abhishek Porel.

DC has two Right to Match (RTM) card options for the auction and reportedly intends to bid on Pant to bring him back, considering his history with the team since joining in 2016 and leading as captain starting in 2022. With three capped players and one uncapped player retained, DC’s budget will reduce by at least INR 47 crore (Axar 18 + Kuldeep 14 + Stubbs 11 + Porel 4), leaving them with INR 73 crore to build their squad in the auction.

Pant, along with Kuldeep, Axar, and Porel, were all retained by DC prior to the last auction. Stubbs was acquired for his base price of INR 50 lakh (approximately USD 60,000 at that time).

The situation surrounding Pant’s future with DC has taken dramatic turns. Earlier, it was widely expected that Pant would be a primary retention, especially well ahead of the retention deadline set for Thursday at 5 pm. However, it appears that not all members of DC’s leadership were in favor of Pant continuing as the franchise’s captain.

Both DC co-owners, Kiran Gandhi of the GMR Group and Parth Jindal of JSW Sports, held individual meetings with Pant. Reports suggest that Pant shared his own views and ideas about the franchise’s future, but ultimately, neither party could reach an agreement.

In 2021, Pant became the fifth-youngest captain in IPL history when he initially took over DC in an interim role before being officially appointed as captain, a position he held through the 2024 season.