India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is likely to be released by Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the franchise finalized its retention list ahead of the mega auction next month. The franchise has reportedly decided to retain Axar Patel, Kudeep Yadav, Truston Stubbs and Abhishek Porel.
According to a report in Times of India, Pant was not only demanding to remain the captain of the Capitals, but also wanted to be involved in the selection of the coaching staff. But Delhi were neither satisfied with his T20 game, nor his captaincy and hence have reportedly decided not to retain the T20 World Cup winner.
“Rishabh Pant wanted the captaincy, wanted to be involved in terms of appointment of coaches and support staff but a lot of people in the DC set-up were not convinced about his T20 game. It was not that they wanted to let him go but They were clear they did not see him leading the team and the decision was not taken overnight, a source close to the development told the website.
The decision will end Pant's tenure with the Delhi franchise, which he joined back in 2016 as an uncapped player and was later given the captaincy responsibility in 2021. Under his leadership, Delhi won 23 out of 43 matches in the three seasons under his leadership. 2021, 2022, 2024), and 19 lost.
Who will lead Delhi Capitals?
With Pant's departure, Delhi will join the list of franchises that will be looking for a captaincy option in the auction next month. While Akshar could be an option, they also have their eyes on Shreyas Iyer, who is all set to be released by Kolkata Knight Riders despite leading them to a title win in 2024.
“Akshar Patel is there as an option, but there is a strong possibility of DC exploring options in the mega auction. There are going to be a lot of captaincy options in the mega auction, so wait and see would be the right way forward for DC. Shreyas Iyer will definitely be on their radar, as he had a lot of success in the DC setup and he understands the setup well and a very exciting set of players have been retained and a solid team can be built around these names. The source told TOI.
Iyer previously led Delhi between 2018 and 2020, where the franchise won 21 out of 41 games during this period, including a trip to the final in 2020.