Hurt Rishabh Pant leaves GMR-run Delhi Capitals, Shreyas Iyer might lead

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has exited Delhi Capitals and is set to be one of the most sought-after players in the IPL auction, following the decision by the GMR-owned franchise to release the Indian international.  After a month of intense negotiations, a complex management structure ultimately led Pant to leave the franchise he had represented for eight years, including three seasons as captain.

 

Delhi Capitals are likely to retain four players: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhishek Porel, and Tristan Stubbs.  Check all latest updates on the IPL 2025 Auction retentions here    Shreyas Iyer to lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025?

 

"With GMR appointing Venugopal Rao as Director of Cricket and Hemang Badani as head coach, the outcome was inevitable. GMR is also in discussions with Shreyas Iyer, who captained the team to its only final in 2020, and who will no longer be with KKR," a source closely following DC's developments told PTI on condition of anonymity on Wednesday.

 

The current DC management structure allows each co-owner to manage the team for a two-year period.

 

"This setup is inherently complex and likely to be counterproductive for the team. So when management transitioned to GMR, they decided on a complete restructuring," the source noted.

 

It’s understood that once the Kiran Grandhi-led management opted to release Pant, there was no turning back. Those close to the player shared that he felt "hurt" by the situation.

 

At the IPL auction, Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings may aggressively pursue Rishabh Pant who is known for his explosive batting displays and is gives the team an option to keep wickets along with it.