Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant will attend the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction on Tuesday (December 19) in Dubai. This will be the Indian wicket-keeper batter’s first formal appearance since his near-fatal accident on New Year’s Eve last year.
The Delhi Capitals have released 11 players from their IPL 2023 roster in preparation for the IPL 2024 auction. Although the majority of them are from the reserve players, several standouts including Chetan Sakariya, Phil Salt, Rilee Rossouw, and Rovman Powell were released by the team and the Rishabh Pant-led side will look to strong middle-order batters in the auction.
According to the reports in Cricbuzz, Rishabh Pant’s presence at the auction has been confirmed by a member of the Delhi Capitals’ ownership group, While it is unknown whether Pant would bid. Rishabh Pant is expected to be fully fit by the end of February and lead the team in the upcoming season. The next edition of the Indian Premier League is scheduled to commence in the latter week of March, most likely on March 22.
Rishabh Pant will be the first reigning captain to actively participate in an IPL auction. Coach Ricky Ponting and Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly are likely to present the Delhi Capitals auction table with Pant. According to team insiders, he fully engaged in the meeting with coach Ponting.
With an available amount of 28.95 crores and four international positions to fill, they have the resources to go after Travis Head, Harry Brook, Daryl Mitchell, or Rachin Ravindra. While Head, Mitchell, and Ravindra are expected to earn big prizes following their World Cup achievements on Indian conditions.
Delhi Capitals, along with a few other franchisees, may be interested in Tamil Nadu finisher M Shahrukh Khan, who was released by Punjab King. The 28-year-old never batted long enough for Punjab during his three seasons and Delhi will look for a few youngsters who can make an impact for the team in to lower-middle order.
Delhi may want to explore investing in a top-tier international pacer available in the auction pool. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Gerald Coetzee are all looking for bidders in the auction pool. The Rishabh Pant-led side will also look for backup options in the fast-bowling and spin-bowling department.