Not long ago, Delhi Capitals (DC) co-owner Parth Jindal clarified that money was not a factor behind the franchise and Rishabh Pant parting ways ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Pant, who made his IPL debut for the Delhi-based franchise in 2016, captained the side in 2021, 2022 and 2024 editions. Hence, there was a big surprise when his name didn’t feature in DC’s list of retained players for the 2025 season.
During the grand auction last month, the wicketkeeper-batter made history as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) shelled out INR 27 Crore to secure his services, making him the most expensive buy in IPL history.
Now, the newly-appointed DC head coach Hemang Badani has shared a contrasting reason for Rishabh Pant’s exit.
Badani said the Capitals were keen on retaining Pant, but their former captain wanted to 'test the market' in the mega auction, which was held on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah.
"I think it's the other way around. He wanted not to be retained. He said he wanted to go to the auction and test the market. If you want to retain a player, both parties (the team and the player) have to agree on certain things. We tried talking to him, the management tried talking to him. There were a lot of phone calls and messages exchanged," Badani told Subramaniam Badrinath in a YouTube show.
"Yes (Delhi Capitals were interested in retaining him). He said he wanted to go to the auction and test the mark. He said he had a feeling that there were chances he would get more money than the highest cap for retained player, which is Rs 18 crore.
"And, at the end of the day, he felt he was worth more. And the market said the same thing. He got Rs 27 crore. Good for him. He is a very good player. We will obviously miss him. But, life goes on," he added.
Badani's version of the turn of events is totally different from Pant and Jindal. Before the mega auction, Pant had refuted Sunil Gavaskar's speculation that his non-retention by the Delhi Capitals was due to financial disagreements.
On the other hand, Jindal had said that money was not an issue for either of the two parties. "We gave him feedback. The feedback was not taken as we expected it to be taken. And yeah, it's okay. He took an emotional call. He has also grown up in this franchise. He was a young boy when he started. Delhi Daredevils gave him the opportunity. Kiran gave him his first opportunity. I came into the franchise later and developed a very strong bond with him," Jindal told India Today.
Delhi Capitals roped in KL Rahul for Rs 14 crore in the mega auction. Rahul is considered as a leading contender to lead the franchise in the upcoming season.
