Rishabh Pant’s departure from the Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the IPL 2025 auction has stirred significant discussion within the cricketing community.
After a long tenure with the franchise, Pant opted to leave, ultimately becoming the most expensive player in IPL history when he was acquired by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for ₹27 crore.
Various factors contributed to this decision, as revealed by multiple sources.
Financial Aspirations
One of the primary reasons for Pant’s exit, as stated by Delhi Capitals’ new head coach Hemang Badani, was his desire to explore his market value.
Badani noted that Pant felt he deserved more than the ₹18 crore cap for retained players and was eager to test the waters during the auction.
“He wanted not to be retained,” Badani explained, highlighting Pant’s ambition to secure a more lucrative deal, which he successfully achieved with LSG’s record bid.
Leadership and Team Dynamics
In addition to financial motivations, there were underlying issues related to leadership and team dynamics.
Reports indicated that Pant was unhappy with recent changes in the coaching staff, particularly with Badani’s appointment as head coach and Venugopal Rao as Director of Cricket.
Sources suggested that Pant feared his influence and decision-making power would be diminished under the new management structure established by DC’s co-owners, GMR Group and JSW Group. This uncertainty about his role within the team contributed to his decision to leave.
Conflicting Visions
The relationship between Pant and the DC management had become strained due to differing visions for the team’s future. Parth Jindal, co-owner of Delhi Capitals, acknowledged that conflicting mindsets hampered their efforts to retain Pant.
He noted that while the franchise wanted to keep him, Pant’s ambitions for leadership and direction did not align with those of the owners. This disconnect ultimately made it difficult for both parties to envision a shared path forward.
Emotional Departure
Despite these challenges, both Pant and DC management sought to part ways amicably. The franchise had made efforts to retain him, even exercising their Right to Match (RTM) option during the auction.
However, when LSG raised their bid beyond what DC was willing to match, Pant’s departure became inevitable. The emotional weight of this decision was palpable for all involved, given Pant’s significant contributions to DC since joining in 2016.
