NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals‘ newly-appointed head coach Hemang Badani shared a contrasting view on Rishabh Pant’s departure, differing from co-owner Parth Jindal’s earlier claim that money wasn’t the primary factor during the IPL mega auction held in Jeddah on November 24 and 25.
The auction saw Pant break records, becoming the costliest player ever, as Lucknow Super Giants secured him for ?27 crore. Delhi Capitals tried to retain him using the Right to Match card at ?21 crore, but Lucknow outbid them.
“I think it’s the other way around. He wanted not to be retained. He said he wanted to go to the auction and test the market. If you want to retain a player, both parties (the team and the player) have to agree on certain things. We tried talking to him, the management tried talking to him. There were a lot of phone calls and messages exchanged,” Badani said during a YouTube show with Subramaniam Badrinath.
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Badani confirmed that the franchise was keen to retain Pant.
“Yes (Delhi Capitals were interested in retaining him). He said he wanted to go to the auction and test the market. He said he had a feeling that there were chances he would get more money than the highest cap for retained player, which is Rs 18 crore.”
“And, at the end of the day, he felt he was worth more. And the market said the same thing. He got Rs 27 crore. Good for him. He is a very good player. We will obviously miss him. But, life goes on,” Badani added.
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Earlier, Pant had denied that his decision was financially motivated, stating on social media, “My retention wasn’t about the money for sure that I can say.” However, the auction results told a different story.
Delhi Capitals regrouped after Pant’s departure by acquiring KL Rahul for Rs 14 crore and Mitchell Starc for Rs 11 crore, bolstering their squad with strategic signings.
Jindal expressed his emotions in a heartfelt post on X about Pant’s exit.
“To Rishabh @RishabhPant17 you are and will always remain my younger brother – from the bottom of my heart I love you and I have tried everything to make sure you are happy and have treated you like my family,” Jindal wrote.
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“I am very sad to see you go and I am very emotional about it. You will always be in DC and I hope one day we can reunite. Thank you for everything Rishabh and remember that we will always love you – go well champ, the world is at your feet. Best wishes from all of us at @DelhiCapitals – other than when you play DC I will be cheering and hoping for the best for you!”
Pant responded warmly, saying, “Thanku bhaiya the feeling is mutual. Means a lot.”
In his farewell note, Pant also acknowledged Delhi Capitals’ fans for their unwavering support over the years.
“Goodbyes are never easy,” he wrote. “The journey with Delhi Capitals has been nothing short of amazing… I’ve grown in ways I never imagined. I came here as a teenager and we grew together over the last nine years.”
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“As I move on, I carry your love and support in my heart. I’ll look forward to entertain you whenever I take the field. Thank you for being my family and making this journey so special,” he added.
Delhi Capitals ended the auction with 19 new players, complementing their retained core of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, and Abhishek Porel. Among their key moves was buying back Jake Fraser-McGurk for Rs 9 crore and adding KL Rahul to the roster.
