India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's sensational return to Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the IPL 2027 came with South African legend AB de Villiers noting signs of unhappiness during his time at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Pant took a steep pay cut to leave LSG—dropping from a record-breaking INR 27 crore down to INR 15 crore—in a trade that sent wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav to Lucknow.
The high-profile swap reunites Pant with DC, where he originally began his IPL career in 2016. De Villiers was not surprised by the move, citing that the southpaw’s public demeanour as LSG skipper hinted at internal frustrations and deeper tensions that went beyond on-field results.
"No surprises there after the season they've had and looking at some of his post-match interviews, there were already signs of him being frustrated and maybe the frustration is coming from the ownership and coaching staff as well. So he is returning back to DC," De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
Rishabh Pant was roped in by LSG for a record sum of Rs 27 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction, but he managed just over 500 runs across two seasons with the franchise.
Under his leadership, the Super Giants endured back‑to‑back dismal campaigns, with the side finishing seventh last year and slipping further this season by ending at the bottom of the points table.
During the season, Pant spoke about "too many minds" in the setup, referring to LSG’s large pool of backroom staff, including head coach Justin Langer, Director of Cricket Tom Moody, strategic advisor Kane Williamson, assistant coach Lance Klusener, and bowling coach Bharat Arun.
Pant’s homecoming coincides with a major overhaul at DC. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is expected to lead DC’s support setup as JSW Group returns to take control of the franchise's core responsibilities for a two-year stint. Another Indian white-ball legend Yuvraj Singh is expected to join Ganguly in the support staff.
De Villiers referred to the franchise's setup as "wishy-washy" due to confusing shifts in the DC ownership model and constant changes to the coaching staff.
“I feel it is a bit wishy-washy, doing this whole ownership change, the coaching staff comes and goes, it’s really difficult for players to react to that and have a positive mindset with all these changes taking place. It can be confusing and there is no doubt about that," he stated.
The former RCB batter also highlighted the timing of Pant’s return. “It is also interesting how Pant skipped the two-year GMR cycle. JSW coming back in now, we’ll see how they go with their two-year ownership. All confusing, you know, I am not a big fan of that," he added.
