Indian wicketkeeper and former Delhi Capitals’ skipper Rishabh Pant has been released by the franchise before the 2025 IPL mega auction. Delhi Capitals have retained just four players—Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abishek Porel—heading into the IPL 2025 mega auction.
They have ₹73 crore left in their purse for the auction. He will be a part of the marquee players set in the mega auction and is expected to break several auction records. Rishabh Pant, who led DC for the past four seasons, was not among the four players retained by the franchise. For the first time since his debut auction, he will be up for bidding. Known for his batting, wicketkeeping, leadership potential, and star appeal, Pant is expected to attract the highest bid in the auction.
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar revealed in an interview that he believes that Pant might have parted ways with the Delhi Capitals due to a fee disagreement in the retention process. He stated, “When KKR won last year, Shreyas Iyer was the captain. As I said earlier for Rishabh Pant as well, at times, there could be a disagreement on the fees.”
“Delhi will want him because they will also need to find a captain if Rishabh Pant isn’t in their team. So I feel Delhi will definitely try to use the RTM card or bring Rishabh Pant back into their team at the auction,” added the former cricketer.
Replying to this, Rishabh Pant replied with a comment under the post which said, “My retention wasn’t about the money for sure that I can say.” This suggests that his decision not to be retained by Delhi Capitals wasn’t influenced by financial factors, hinting at other possible reasons for the separation, such as team dynamics or strategic differences.
The talented wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is expected to be one of the most in-demand players in the 2025 mega auction. Known for his aggressive batting, reliable wicketkeeping, and experience as a captain, he is a valuable player for any team. Franchises like Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, and Kolkata Knight Riders would be involved in a bidding war for the Indian star cricketer.
