IPL 2025: Rishabh Pant to leave Delhi Capitals? Franchise owners to make final call soon

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's future with the Delhi Capitals is uncertain as the Delhi Capitals (DC) team management might not retain him. According to a report in the Times of India, Rishabh Pant might not be retained by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction.

Pant has been with the Delhi Capitals throughout his IPL career since his debut in 2016. The left-handed batter has played many crucial knocks for the Delhi-based franchise in the IPL. Pant took over as captain during the 2021 season when Shreyas Iyer missed the marquee tournament due to injury.

Rishabh Pant to Be Released by Delhi Capitals Ahead of IPL 2025 Auction?

Earlier this year, Delhi Capitals' co-owner Parth Jindal announced that Rishabh Pant would be their top retention for the upcoming season. However, recent reports suggest that this plan may have changed on Pant after the GMR Group is set to manage the Delhi-based team for the next two years.

The report further added that Delhi Capitals could be retaining Pant after working out with JSW and GMR regarding their responsibilities in the IPL. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) are eyeing Pant as a potential captain, which puts pressure on the Capitals to make a decision.

GMR Set to Take Charge of Delhi Capitals for IPL 2025 and IPL 2026 Seasons

Earlier, it was announced that GMR and JSW will be taking turns running Delhi Capitals for two years at a stretch, with GMR in charge for the 2025 and 2026 IPL seasons. Meanwhile, JSW will handle the operations of the Women’s Premier League team and the Pretoria Capitals during the same period.

Venugopal Rao and Hemang Badani have been appointed as the director of cricket and head coach, respectively. Venugopal and Hemang are likely to finalize strategies for the upcoming IPL 2025 auction, which is scheduled to take place later this year possibly overseas.

Notably, Badani and Rao have replaced Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly at Delhi Capitals (DC). Ponting was the head coach of the franchise for a very long time but was unsuccessful in leading the team to their first-ever trophy in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Dada Has Always Had A Special Place At JSW Sports - Parth Jindal

Sourav Ganguly has taken on the role of head of cricket at JSW Sports, where he will oversee the women’s team and the Pretoria Capitals for the next few years. However, he is not expected to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the men's team during this time.

"Dada has always had a special place at JSW Sports. For us, he is family first and then the cricketing icon that he is,” Parth Jindal said in a statement.

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