Rishabh Pant. (Source -Twitter/X)
As the mega auction for the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League approaches, there are constant developments which have been brewing up on a day-to-day basis. One such report pertains to one of India’s star players and the current skipper of the Delhi Capitals, Rishabh Pant.
As per multiple reports, there have been a few rounds of discussions between the DC management and Pant. There seems to be a conflicting opinion when it comes to the topic of captaincy. While Pant seems more than keen on continuing to shepherd the side, the management isn’t really keen on the same. It seems as if the Capitals’ management is looking to offload Pant and bring in a fresh face as skipper, much like they did with Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao as far as changes in the support staff are concerned.
So far, it had seemed inevitable that Pant will be retained and now with reports of him being thrown into the auction, it seems likely that quite some franchises will be heading for him with there being a high demand for captains by many franchises. The frontrunners of this race seem to be the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who are expected to go all guns blazing come the mega auction in a bid to replace the recently-retired Dinesh Karthik. KL Rahul is another candidate on their radar. However, it is being reported that Pant is at a higher priority than the local boy.
Also Read: IPL 2025: Pant, Iyer, Arshdeep likely to enter auction after retention rule change
LSG, PBKS ready to battle it out for Pant
RCB isn’t the only stakeholder who have an eye on Pant. It is the Lucknow Super Giants as well as the Punjab Kings too. With LSG deciding to part ways with Rahul, they would be in need of a wicketkeeper as well as a skipper. Pant would fit the bill for them.
Also Read: Reports: Lucknow Super Giants set to release KL Rahul ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction
As far as the Punjab Kings are concerned, they are in need of a left-handed batter. Considering Ricky Ponting being appointed as the Kings’ new head coach recently, it is expected that Ponting will try his best to acquire Pant, with whom he has had a steadfast bond during their time at DC.