Pant set for mega auction after being released by Delhi Capitals

Rishabh Pant, one of the most high-profile names in the cricket world, will be up for grabs at the 2025 IPL mega auction after not being retained by Delhi Capitals (DC). Sources at ESPNcricinfo have revealed that discussions between DC's ownership group and Pant fell through after months of back-and-forth, ultimately leading to his release on Wednesday. Despite this, the franchise has opted to retain four players for the upcoming season: the talented spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, hard-hitting South African batsman Tristan Stubbs, and promising young Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Abishek Porel. As Pant prepares to enter the auction pool, it is likely that several teams will be vying for his explosive batting talent and game-changing abilities on the field.

DC will have two RTM card options at the auction, and, it is understood that they will attempt to buy back Pant, who joined the franchise in 2016 and became their key player, including taking over captaincy in 2022. With three capped and one uncapped retentions, DC's purse will be depleted by at least INR 47 crore (18+14+11+ 4) and they will have INR 73 crore to build their squad at the auction.

More to follow...