Days ahead of the IPL mega auction, star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has all but ended the hopes of Delhi Capitals fans of seeing their skipper back in the club jersey for the tournament next year.
Delhi Capitals, surprisingly, released the 27-year-old ahead of the auction, but the fans were hopeful that the franchise will probably bring him back at the auction using the Right To Match option.
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However, in response to a video post put on X by Star Sports, where legendary cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar says that Delhi Capitals and Pant might have disagreed on the retention fee, Pant revealed mony was not the reason.
Ahead of the October 31 deadline, Pant, in a cryptic post on X, had asked his fans and followers if he would find any takers in the IPL auction.
Pant was bought by the franchise in 2016, and played 111 matches for them. With 3,284 runs, he is the leading run-scorer for Delhi Capitals. He took over as the skipper in 2021 and led the team to the playoffs.
But, Pant's response indicates that he might not return to Delhi Capitals. The franchise chose to retain Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs and Abhishek Porel. It remains to be seen if Delhi Capitals will be able to lure Shreyas Iyer, the current Kolkata Knight Riders skipper, back to its fold.
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Interestingly, Ricky Ponting and Delhi Capitals, too, parted ways ahead of the auction. The former Australian skipper is the head coach of Punjab Kings now, and Pant will probably be eyeing a reunion. And, the Punjab franchise, too, would be eyeing him as a possible captain for the upcoming season.
The IPL auction will be held on November 24 and 25.