Rishabh Pant left Delhi Capitals for a bigger paycheck? DC coach makes startling revelation

The head coach of Delhi Capitals (DC), Hemang Badani recently made some surprising revelations regarding Rishabh Pant's departure from the franchise before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Despite Pant's earlier claims that his departure was not motivated by money, Badani disclosed that the Team India star did indeed leave the team due to financial reasons, as he believed he could secure a more lucrative deal in the auction.

Pant made history by becoming the most expensive player in IPL history when Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) acquired him for a staggering Rs 27 crore at the mega auction in Jeddah last month. Pant's release from Delhi Capitals prior to the auction came as a shock to many, especially considering his role as the team's captain and primary star player.

In shedding light on Pant's departure, Badani revealed that Pant opted not to be retained by the team in order to "test the market" and determine his true value. According to Badani, Pant was confident that he could command a higher price in the IPL 2025 mega auction than the top retention bracket of Rs 18 crore.

“I think it’s the other way around. He wanted not to be retained. He said he wanted to 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, who replaced Ricky Ponting as DC head coach, told Subramaniam Badrinath on his 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,” he added.

Badani's claims are in direct contradiction to Pant's statement regarding his release from Delhi Capitals. In response to Sunil Gavaskar's comments suggesting that DC and Pant may have failed to reach an agreement due to financial reasons, Pant clarified that his retention was not motivated by money.

“My retention wasn’t about the money for sure that I can say,” Pant had said in a tweet.

However, recent comments from Badani have shed new light on the situation surrounding Pant's departure. Previous reports had suggested that Pant's exit may have been due to his desire to retain the captaincy. It was rumored that the DC management preferred Pant to remain as a player, but the wicket-keeper was adamant about keeping his captaincy role.

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