Why did Rishabh Pant leave Delhi Capitals? Parth Jindal opens up
Parth Jindal, the co-owner of the Delhi Capitals, opened up after Rishabh Pant, who was there with the franchise since 2016, wasn't retained in the IPL 2025 retentions.
by India Today Sports Desk · India TodayIn Short
- Rishabh Pant hasn’t been retained by Delhi Capitals
- Pant is the all-time top run-scorer for DC in the IPL
- Pant had joined Delhi Capitals back in 2016
Parth Jindal opened up after Delhi Capitals (DC) did not retain Rishabh Pant for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. On Thursday, DC retained four players; Axar Patel (Rs 16.5 crores), Abhishek Porel (INR 4 crores), Tristan Stubbs (INR 10 crores) and Kuldeep Yadav (INR 13.25 crores).
Pant joined the Capitals in 2016 and played eight seasons for them until 2024. It was only the 2023 season that he missed as he was suffering from the multiple injuries in an accident in December 2022. Jindal said that the Capitals had to “pick strategically” and hence, they could not retain certain players.
“In Axar, Kuldeep, Tristan and Abhishek we have the ideal blend of experience and youth, and I am very pleased with our retentions. I would have liked to retain more players who have turned out for DC, but the rules mean we have to pick strategically,” Jindal was quoted as saying.
‘Strong and balanced squad’
It was learned that talks between Pant and the DC ownership group did not work out as planned. However, the Capitals have the option of buying back Pant, who will go into the auction, by using the Right to Match (RTM) cards.
“Going into the auction, we will have two RTM cards and that leaves the door open for players who have worn the DC shirt in the past, to carry on with us. We know who we want and will make sure to get some if not all the players back,” Jindal said.
“With this important milestone behind us, the team is working tirelessly on the mega auction. Our intent is to build a strong and balanced squad that can bring home a much-awaited IPL trophy to our city,” Parth Jindal added.
Pant is currently the all-time leading run-scorer for the Capitals in the history of the IPL. He is also the most-capped player for DC along with Amit Mishra.