Delhi Capitals plan on retaining Indian core of Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel ahead of mega-auction - Reports

Delhi Capitals (DC) reportedly plan to keep hold of three players from their Indian core in the form of Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega-auction. Franchises have the option to retain up to six players, in accordance with the retention slabs announced by the governing body recently.

According to a report by PTI's Kushan Sarkar, the Delhi Capitals (DC) are not considering any other retentions apart from the Indian trio. Rishabh Pant, being the skipper, is considered as the first-choice retention with a fee of INR 18 crore. The left-handed duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will be retained at INR 14 crore and INR 11 crore, respectively.

Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal had recently confirmed that the franchise intends to extend their relationship with Rishabh Pant. However, the franchise skipper had put up a surprising post on Twitter recently stating that how much he would fetch if he was part of the auction.

Axar Patel was the second-choice retention upon the conclusion of the previous cycle as well. The all-rounder was awarded a contract worth INR 9 crore ahead of the 2022 auction.

Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand, was roped in by the franchise for just INR 2 crore after a roller-coaster stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The spinner was considered one of the bargain purchases of the previous mega auction, and proved his worth with a brilliant cycle. With 47 wickets across the last three seasons, he was able to claw his way back into the Indian team, and is seen as a vital cog for the franchise.

With the current retention plan, there is no place for the promising overseas pair of Tristan Stubbs and Jake Fraser-McGurk. DC have the option of using the RTM option should it align with their finances during the mega auction. It might also mean the end of the road for several players like Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh and Anrich Nortje among others.

Hemang Badani likely to be Delhi Capitals' next head coach after Ponting's departure

Ricky Ponting was also part of the off-season sacking spree. The former Australian was let go by DC after failing to guide the side to the playoffs for three seasons in a row.

According to the same report, DC are keen on bringing Hemang Badani on board as the new head coach. Former India pacer Munaf Patel is the likely candidate to be the new bowling coach of the team.

Hemang Badani was Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) fielding coach and coach from 2021 to 2023. He has also had coaching stints in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and the Lanka Premier League (LPL) over the years.