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Ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Team India's wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has asked fans if he would attract any bids upon entering the mega auction. Pant has been part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) squad since his IPL debut in 2016. He was appointed as the captain of the team in 2021.
Asking his followers to guess the price he would be sold for at the event, the stumper wrote on the microblogging platform X:
"If go to the auction. will I be sold or not and for how much ??"
Pant is an integral part of the Delhi side and the aforementioned tweet could very well be a tongue-in-cheek post. The southpaw made a fantastic comeback to competitive cricket in IPL 2024 after being on the sidelines due to the multiple injuries he sustained in a car crash in December 2022.
Pant was the leading run-getter for DC in IPL 2024, amassing 446 runs across 13 innings at an average of 40.54. However, it was a disappointing campaign for Delhi as they finished sixth on the points table with seven wins and as many losses.
"Rishabh Pant will definitely be retained" - DC co-owner Parth Jindal
DC co-owner Parth Jindal confirmed earlier this month that the franchise would definitely retain Rishabh Pant ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. He added that Axar Patel, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Kuldeep Yadav, Abishek Porel, Mukesh Kumar, and Khaleel Ahmed are among the contenders for the remaining slots.
As per rules, a franchise can retain a maximum of six players from their existing squad as retentions or by using the Right to Match (RTM) option.
Speaking to IANS, here's what Jindal said about Rishabh Pant and other retention options:
"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.
Delhi are among the three teams (Bengaluru and Punjab) that have not won the IPL trophy despite being part of the tournament since the inaugural edition. They would hope to build a formidable roster at the mega auction and aim to clinch their maiden title next year.
