A few weeks ago, before the retention rules were published by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), there were talks of the Indian wicket-keeper batter, Rishabh Pant, could be moving out of the Delhi Capitals franchise before the mega auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Making his return in the longest format of the game after nearly 21 months, the left-handed middle-order batter showed his importance with a quality century against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. There were rumors of differences between Rishabh Pant and the Delhi management over the retention fees.
The BCCI is yet to announce the rules and regulations for the upcoming retentions of the mega auction, but the reports have confirmed that the Capitals are going to retain the Delhi-born as their first pick. The decision has been taken on the back of the meeting between the batter and the co-owner of the side, Parth Jindal.
Rishabh Pant to be the first retention for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025
The current salary of the wicketkeeper is INR 16 crore, but it could go up based on the total purse that will be allowed to the franchise and the retention fee guidelines by the BCCI.
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When it comes to his performance for the franchise, Rishabh Pant is by far the leading run-getter in the Indian Premier League with 3284 runs in 111 games at an average of 35.31 and a strike rate of nearly with the help of 18 half-centuries and one-century with the best score of unbeaten 128 runs, which he smashed against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018.
The veteran missed the whole season of IPL in 2023 due to his accident but made a great comeback in the 2024 edition of the event with 446 runs in 13 games, thanks to his impressive knock of 155, as he has incredibly led the team.
It can further be informed, thanks to the reports, that the left-arm spin all-rounder Axar Patel and the left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav are expected to be the two more retentions, having played some key parts in the franchise. If they are going to be allowed to go with two of their overseas players, then the young Australian Jake Fraser-McGurk and the South African batter Tristian Stubbs are expected to fill the positions.
Even though a few reports have expressed a possibility of the teams being allowed to go for one uncapped player, there is no guarantee of that. In that case, the DC management can look to keep the option of 21-year-old Abhishek Porel.
Rishabh Pant was given the captaincy of the franchise during the 2021 season, while Shreyas Iyer left for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022 and went on to win the title in the previous season. Pant shared an excellent relationship in the field with the former head coach Ricky Ponting, who parted ways with the team and has shaken hands with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) recently.
There are no such reports on the exact period for the retention rules being announced, but it’s expected to be declared in the last week of September. The mega auction for the 18th season of the tournament is scheduled to take place in the last week of November and could be held overseas, as London and one of the cities of the Middle East are considered as the potential venues