Rishabh Pant’s exit from Delhi Capitals franchise ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction was a huge shock and now owner Parth Jindal has shed light on what happened behind the scenes. Pant had made his IPL debut for DC in 2016 and spent 9 years with the team.
He was made captain of DC in 2021 and continued to lead the side in 2022, and 2024. He played 111 matches and scored 3284 runs at a strike rate of 148.39 and the highest score of 128*. He has hit 154 sixes and 396 fours. He also has taken 75 catches and 23 stumpings.
Parth Jindal spoke to ESPNCricinfo about Rishabh Pant’s exit, calling it “devastating.” He revealed that the franchise made every effort to keep him, but the decision was ultimately up to Pant, and they respect his decision.
“I love the boy like my own brother. He took a call at the end of the day. We tried our best. He made the decision, and we have to respect it,” Jindal said.
In the IPL 2025 mega auction, Rishabh Pant’s name saw multiple franchises fighting for him and in the end, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) won with a whopping bid of INR 27 Crores, when DC tried to use their RTM card on Pant.
This made Pant the most expensive player ever bought in the IPL auction history, eclipsing Mitchell Starc’s INR 24.75 Cr winning bid by KKR last auction.
Rishabh Pant’s want for India captaincy and taking feedback poorly led to his exit: Parth Jindal
During the same conversation, Parth Jindal emphasized that Rishabh Pant’s departure from Delhi Capitals was not due to captaincy concerns. Jindal added that the franchise had given him constructive input on his leadership abilities to help him grow, but the player would not accept it.
“We gave him some feedback regarding leadership. We suggested ways he could improve, but we were quite clear about his ambitions. We know where he wants to go. He has made it amply clear that his dream and desire is to captain India, and that starts with captaining an IPL team,” Jindal concluded.
Before his accident in 2022, Rishabh Pant was a strong contender for India’s vice-captaincy across formats. He captained India to a 2-2 draw in a 5-T20I series against South Africa at home.