Exit From Delhi Capitals Not About Money Says Rishabh Pant
NEW DELHI (ANI) – India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant on November 19 broke silence on his exit from Delhi Capitals ahead of the Indian Premier League 2025 mega-auction and said that it was not about money.
The Delhi-based franchise retained all-rounder Axar Patel, left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and right-hand batters Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel ahead of IPL 2025’s mega auction.
In response to an X video featuring Sunil Gavaskar’s comments, Pant himself replied, and wrote, “My retention wasn’t about the money for sure that I can say.”
Earlier, speaking exclusively on Star Sports, Gavaskar said that maybe there was some “disagreement over there” between the Delhi-based franchise and Pant for which the player was not retained.
“The auction dynamics are completely different, so we don’t know how it will go. But what I feel is that Delhi would certainly want Rishabh Pant back in their squad. Sometimes, you know, when the player is to be retained, there is a talk between the franchise and the player about the fees that are expected. As you can see, some of the players who have been retained by their franchise have gone for more than, say, the number one retention fee deduction would be. So, clearly, I think maybe there was some disagreement over there. But my feeling is that Delhi would want Rishabh Pant back because they need a captain as well. Delhi would be, if Rishabh Pant is not in their squad, then they must look for a new captain as well. So, my feeling is Delhi will go for Rishabh Pant,” Gavaskar was quoted in a release from Star Sports as saying.
In the last season of the T20 tournament, the Delhi-based franchise narrowly missed the playoffs based on net run rate, with seven wins, seven losses, and a total of 14 points.
In 111 matches for DC, Pant scored 3,284 runs at an average of 148.93, with a century and 17 fifties to his name. His best score is 128*. He is the franchise’s leading run-getter. Under his captaincy, DC reached the playoffs in 2021 but could not progress beyond league stages in 2022 and 2024.
