Rishabh Pant is likely to miss out as Delhi Capitals (DC) have reportedly finalized its list of players who will be retained ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction later this year. The DC franchise has reportedly decided to retain Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristian Stubbs, and Abhishek Porel.

Not only this, DC has also kept the option for RTM open in the IPL 2025 mega auction.

A Times of India report has suggested that DC was keen on retaining Rishabh Pant, but not as their captain. However, Pant is very sure of showing off his captaincy chops and wants to lead a franchise. Pant and the DC leadership had multiple meetings about the way forward, but the final decision is said to have been taken today.

"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 told TOI.

Pant's long affiliation with the Delhi Capitals has come to an end. He joined the team as an uncapped player in 2016 and became captain at the start of the 2021 season.

With Pant gone, it remains to be seen who will head DC beginning with the 2025 edition. There is an alternative in Axar Patel, but it is understood that the franchise would look into choices at the mega-auction, and don't be surprised if they go aggressively for Shreyas Iyer.

"Axar Patel is there as an option but there is a strong possibility of DC exploring options at the mega auction. Plenty of captaincy options are set to enter the mega auction so wait and watch is going to be the right way forward for DC. Shreyas Iyer will definitely be on their radar as he enjoyed a lot of success in the DC setup and understands the setup well. A very exciting set of players have been retained and a solid squad can be built around these names," adds the source.