Rishabh Pant and Delhi Capitals left fans in shock when they parted ways ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Pant, who was one of the pillars of the franchise since 2016 and served as captain in three of the last four seasons, was notably absent from the list of retained players. This decision raised eyebrows, especially considering his significant contributions to the team.
There were several rumours also that the new owners, GMR Group, didn’t want Pant in the team. But to put all rumours to rest, DC Co-owner Parth Jindal has revealed some very interesting facts about the entire saga that transpired.
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Parth Jindal, co-owner of the Delhi Capitals, shed light on the circumstances leading to Pant’s departure. In an interview with RevSportz, Jindal stated,
“We had a lot of discussions with Rishabh. There were things expected from Rishabh that we didn’t get last season or the previous seasons, and we gave him honest feedback on that.”
Jindal emphasized the unity within the DC ownership group, comprising himself, Kiran Kumar Grandhi, and the GMR and JSW factions, describing them as “One Family.” He further elaborated on the decision-making process, noting,
“Kiran and I, GMR and JSW, both are One Family. We are very united. We took a decision collectively. We gave him feedback, but the feedback wasn’t taken in the way we expected it to be taken. And yeah, he (Rishabh Pant) ended up taking an emotional call.”
The feedback provided to Pant was centered around performance expectations that, according to Jindal, were not met in the previous seasons. Despite the franchise’s efforts to communicate these concerns, the response from Pant was not as anticipated, leading to his decision to leave.
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Jindal refrained from delving into the specifics of the discussions, acknowledging the complexity and length of the conversations. He stated,
“We don’t want to get into what exactly transpired because it was a very long protracted conversation. Ultimately, it was Rishabh who decided that he doesn’t want to stay.”
This development has left fans and analysts alike speculating about what the feedback exactlycould have been. Pant’s departure has seen the franchise opting for a new leader, and that is probably going to be KL Rahul, whom they bought in the auction for INR 14 crores.
In the IPL 2025 mega auction, Pant attracted significant attention, with the Lucknow Super Giants securing his services for a record-breaking â‚ą27 crore (approximately $3.2 million). DC did try to get him back as they exercised the RTM card for Pant, but LSG raised the bid to an amount that DC were not ready to meet.
As the IPL 2025 season approaches, all eyes will be on the Delhi Capitals to see how they adapt to the changes and whether they can have a competitive edge without one of their most influential players of the last few years.
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