Indian cricket team’s star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was part of the Delhi Capitals franchise in the IPL from 2016 to 2024. Despite spending nine seasons with the team, the franchise did not retain him for IPL 2025, leaving everyone surprised. Pant later entered the mega auction, where he became the most expensive player in IPL history. Lucknow Super Giants bought him for a staggering ₹27 crore. Now, Delhi Capitals’ new head coach, Hemang Badani, has made a shocking claim, alleging that Pant himself chose to leave the franchise for a higher paycheck.
Head Coach’s Surprising Revelation
Rishabh Pant was a key player for Delhi Capitals for nine seasons, even leading the team as captain. When the franchise didn’t retain him for the upcoming season, many assumed it was their decision. However, Hemang Badani, who replaced Ricky Ponting as head coach, revealed in a recent interview that the franchise wanted to retain Pant, but he opted to enter the mega auction to explore his market value.
Speaking on S Badrinath’s YouTube channel, Badani said, “He didn’t want to be retained. He told the franchise he wanted to test his market value by going to the auction.” Badani further explained, “For a player to be retained, both parties need to agree on certain terms. We tried to negotiate with him, and the management made several calls and sent him many messages.”
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Delhi Will Miss Pant
According to Badani, Pant believed his worth exceeded the retention limit of ₹18 crore, and his decision was validated when he fetched ₹27 crore in the auction. While it was a great deal for Pant’s future, Badani admitted that Delhi Capitals would miss him.
For IPL 2025, the player retention cap was set at ₹18 crore. Heinrich Klaasen received ₹23 crore, and Virat Kohli was retained for ₹21 crore. Franchises had to manage their ₹75 crore retention pool for five capped players, leading many teams to offer slightly higher amounts to retain their star players.