In a shocking statement, Delhi Capitals (DC) coach Hemang Badani has spoken about the truth behind his former captain Rishabh Pant’s decision to leave the franchise ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season. .

Badani revealed that Pant believed he deserved more money than the highest retention position of INR 18 crore. Pant, therefore, decided to put his name in the auction as he felt he was worth more than what Delhi Capitals were offering.

Speaking in a video on former Indian cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath’s YouTube channel, Hemang Badani revealed:

“He (Rishabh Pant) said he wanted to go to the auction and try the brand. He said he had a feeling there were chances of him getting more money than the highest limit for a retained player, which is Rs 18 million. And, at the end of the day, he felt like he was worth more. And the market said the same. He earned ₹27 crore. Good for him. He is a very good player. We will obviously miss him. But life goes on.”

Rishabh Pant had earlier denied speculation that his exit was based on money.

Rishabh Pant made history as the most expensive signing in IPL history after being acquired by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a staggering amount of INR 27 crore. Interestingly, Rishabh Pant had earlier denied speculations about his departure, saying that his exit from Delhi Capitals had nothing to do with ‘money’.

“I can say that my retention was not because of money,” Rishabh Pant had written in X.

LSG, on the other hand, had sacked their captain of the last three seasons, KL Rahul, and needed to find a player who could take on the role of captain.

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While there is no official confirmation from the Sanjiv Goenka-owned franchise yet, Rishabh Pant is expected to be given the reins of captaincy for the upcoming IPL 2025 season.

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