“Rishabh Pant will definitely be retained” – Delhi Capitals’ co-owner Parth Jindal ahead of IPL 2025 retentions

Delhi Capitals’ (DC) co-owner Parth Jindal has confirmed that skipper Rishabh Pant will be their first-choice retention ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auctions. With the statement, Jindal also ended the speculations regarding Pant’s near future in the T20 league. He also revealed his few other retention choices, including Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Jake Fraser-McGurk.

As per the new rule, IPL franchises can retain not more than six players from their existing squad. This can be done either via retention or the Right to Match (RTM) option. The six retentions can include a maximum of five capped players and a maximum of two uncapped players.

Parth Jindal told IANS:

"Yes, we definitely have to retain. We have some very good players in our team. The rules have just come out, so after discussing with GMR and our director of cricket, Sourav Ganguly, decisions will be made. Rishabh Pant will definitely be retained.

"We also have Axar Patel, who is excellent, Triston Stubbs, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Kuldeep Yadav, Abishek Porel, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, all very good players in our team. We'll see what happens in the auction. But first, as per the rule, we can retain six players. After discussions, we will proceed with the auction and see what happens..." he added.

How did Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals fare in IPL 2024?

Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals finished sixth in the points table in IPL 2024. They won seven out of their 14 matches in the tournament. The Delhi-based franchise had equal points as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but a lower net run rate (NRR), which cost them a place in the playoffs.

The Capitals had last reached the playoff in the 2021 edition of the tournament.

Delhi Capitals squad from IPL 2024:

INDIANS: Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Khaleel Ahmed, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dhull, Vicky Ostwal, Abishek Porel, Ricky Bhui, Kumar Kushagra, Rasikh Dar, Sumit Kumar and Swastik Chikara.

OVERSEAS: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tristan Stubbs, Jhye Richardson and Shai Hope.