New Delhi: Rishabh Pant is unlikely to be retained by the Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 mega auction. Pant reportedly wanted to continue as captain of the side but the Delhi Capitals management didn’t see the India wicket-keeper batter as the leader of the team. Pant is set to head to the mega auction and might be on the radar of many teams.
As per a report in the Times of India, Pant is not on Delhi Capitals’ list of retained players. The franchise has decided to retain India all-rounder Axar Patel, star spinner Kuldeep Yadav, South Africa all-rounder Tristan Stubbs and uncapped Indian wicket-keeper batter Abhishek Porel. Porel was roped in as a replacement for Pant in IPL 2023 when the India star missed the entire season after a dangerous car crash.
Pant was expected to be a natural first-choice retention for DC considering he is a India regular and has been leading the franchise since 2022. As per TOI, DC management didn’t want to let go of the wicket-keeper batter but were convinced he cannot be the captain of the team. Pant wanted captaincy and thus a deal couldn’t be pulled off.
“Rishabh Pant wanted captaincy, wanted to be involved with regards to appointment of coaches and support staff but plenty in the DC set-up are not convinced about his T20 game. It wasn’t that they wanted to let him go but they were clear that they didn’t see him leading the side. And that decision wasn’t an overnight one,” a source close to the development was quoted as saying by TOI.
Pant had joined Delhi Capitals as a youngster in 2016. The wicket-keeper batter quickly rose to fame and went on to become a vital cog in their line-up with his impressive performances. DC let go of their captain Shreyas Iyer to make Pant the regular skipper ahead of IPL 2022. Pant has so far played 111 matches in his IPL career and has 3284 runs to his name at a strike rate of 148.93, including 18 fifties and 1 hundred.
Who will lead Delhi Capitals?
As per the TOI report, Axar Patel is a contender to lead Delhi Capitals from IPL 2025. However, the franchise can also make a move for a potential captaincy candidate in the mega auction with the likes of Shreyas, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan among others expected to enter the pool. DC might go hard for Iyer, who led the team to final in IPL 2019 before being sacked and released.
The decision to release Pant might come back to haunt the franchise if they are not able to secure an ideal player to lead the team for the next three seasons. Pant, who has also led India in T20Is, will be a wanted man at the auction considering a lot of teams will be interested in roping him in as captain.
