Hemang Badani Explains Rishabh Pant's Exit from Delhi Capitals Before IPL Auction

Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal had recently claimed that there was no financial consideration for releasing Rishabh Pant, but the newly appointed head coach Hemang Badani added another perspective that though the franchise wanted to retain the wicket-keeper batsman, the player wanted 'test the market' in the mega auction for the Indian Premier League on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Hemang Badani said that Rishabh Pant decided to leave the Delhi Capitals, and he believed he could earn more than the ₹18 crore cap for retained players. This is why Pant decided to test the waters of the IPL mega auction.

The gamble paid off spectacularly, as Pant broke the all-time IPL record for the highest auction price. Lucknow Super Giants secured his services with a jaw-dropping bid of ₹27 crore, leaving everyone stunned. Delhi Capitals made an effort to retain Pant, using their Right to Match card at ₹21 crore, but Lucknow pushed their bid higher, sealing the deal and pulling off the historic signing.

"I think it's the other way around. He wanted not to be retained. He said he wanted to go 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," Hemang Badani told Subramaniam Badrinath in a YouTube show.

"Yes (Delhi Capitals were interested in retaining him). He said he wanted to go to the auction and test the market. He had a feeling that he could get more money than the highest cap for retained players, which is Rs 18 crore. And, at the end of the day, he felt he was worth more. And the market said the same thing. He got Rs 27 crore. Good for him. He is a very good player. We will obviously miss him. But, life goes on," Badani added.

Rishabh Pant responded to a video in which Sunil Gavaskar mentioned that there might have been a disagreement over money between him and the franchise, saying, "I can definitely say that my retention wasn’t about the money."

Delhi Capitals' Smart Moves in the IPL Auction

Parth Jindal, on the other hand, emphasized that money was never a concern for either party, but pointed out that Pant didn’t take the feedback as they had hoped.

“We gave him feedback, but it wasn’t taken the way we expected. It’s okay; he made an emotional decision. He has grown with this franchise, starting as a young player. Delhi Daredevils gave him his first opportunity, and Kiran was the one who backed him. I joined later and developed a strong bond with him,” Jindal shared in an interview with India Today.

In the auction, Delhi Capitals made some smart moves, signing KL Rahul for ₹14 crore and Mitchell Starc for ₹11 crore.

DC IPL 2025 Squad

T. Natarajan, Axar Patel, and Karun Nair. The team also features Sameer Rizvi, Mohit Sharma, and Ashutosh Sharma, alongside Faf du Plessis and Vipraj Nigam. Emerging talents like Madhav Tiwari, Dushmantha Chameera, and Jake Fraser-McGurk are part of the squad. Additionally, players like Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, and Kuldeep Yadav strengthen the lineup. KL Rahul, Harry Brook, and Abishek Porel bring further depth, while Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Manvanth Kumar, and Ajay Mandal.