IPL Auction 2025: Rishabh Pant shocks Sunil Gavaskar, DC with explosive revelation on non-retention

Team India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has broken his silence on leaving Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Rishabh fired back at legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who accused him of asking for more money to be retained for the IPL 2025 season.

Pant was not retained by Delhi Capitals for IPL 2025, despite being with the franchise since 2016. Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, Delhi retained only four players - Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abishek Porel. The Capitals have ₹73 crore remaining in their purse for the IPL auction.

Delhi Capitals Would Definitely Want Rishabh Pant Back - Sunil Gavaskar

Speaking on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar said that Delhi Capitals may have had a disagreement with Pant over retention, adding that the wicketkeeper-batter might have asked for more money. However, Gavaskar stated that the franchise would still want Pant back.

"Auction dynamics are completely different so we don't know how it will go. But I feel Delhi would certainly want Rishabh Pant back in their squad. Sometimes when the player is to be retained, there is talk between the player and the franchise about the fees that are expected and you can see some of the players who have been retained by their franchise have gone for more than what their deduction fee would have been," Gavaskar said.

"Maybe there was some disagreement there but my feeling is that Delhi would definitely want Pant back.. because they need a captain as well. If Rishabh Pant is not in their squad, they would have to look for that as well. Delhi will definitely go for Rishabh Pant," he added.

My Retention Wasn't About The Money - Rishabh Pant

Responding to a video by Star Sports which featured Gavaskar, Pant clarified that his non-retention by Delhi Capitals was not related to money. His statement suggests a potential rift between him and the franchise owners regarding his role in the team and coaching staff.

"My retention wasn’t about the money for sure that I can say," Pant wrote on X (formelry known as Twitter).

My retention wasn’t about the money for sure that I can say 🤍

— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) November 19, 2024

The Wicketkeeper Batter Could Be Sold For 20 Crore in Auction

Pant had an outstanding IPL 2024 season, scoring 446 runs at an average of 40.54 and a strike rate of 155.40 in 13 matches. However, the Delhi-based franchise failed to advance to the playoffs. It is worth mentioning that he made a successful comeback to competitive cricket during the season.

The 27-year-old has played 111 IPL matches and scored 3,284 runs at an average of 35.31 and a strike rate of 148.93, including one century and 18 fifties. Pant is also known for his skills behind the stumps. He registered with a base price of ₹2 crore and could fetch over ₹20 crore in the IPL 2025 auction.

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