IPL 2025 Mega Auction: Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel on top of retention list for Delhi Capitals - Reports

With the IPL 2025 mega auction just around the corner, Delhi Capitals have zeroed in on the players leading the retention race, with Captain Rishabh Pant first on the list. Shortly after Pant hammered his sixth Test hundred against Bangladesh in Chennai – the joint-most by an Indian keeper-batter in Tests, the latest reports began surfacing, claiming the management locked in Pant as the number one pick.

Per Cricbuzz, the Delhi Capitals’ ownership group confirmed that Pant is the first name on the retention list, while all-rounder Axar Patel and ace spinner Kuldeep Yadav are next in line. Though the BCCI has yet to release the revised retention rules, with the announcement expected shortly, this decision came following a constructive meeting between franchise co-owner Parth Jindal and Pant in Mumbai.

Pant’s current IPL salary is $1.91 million (INR 16 crore), which is likely to increase based on the total player purse allowed to a team and the retention fee guidelines set by the apex cricket body in India.

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Meanwhile, Pant returned to on-field cricket in IPL this year, having missed the last edition following his horrific car crash. Though ahead of the start of the tournament, Ganguly – DC’s Director of Cricket, claimed that Pant might only play as a batter, the India gloveman attained full fitness and kept wickets throughout the tournament.

In IPL 2024, Pant scored 443 runs in 13 matches, with an impressive strike-rate of 155.

Participating in the T20 World Cup in the Americas, Pant guided his team to their second title. Currently, on his Test return against Bangladesh in Chennai, Pant completed a hundred (109) in the second innings.

Overseas options for DC

Going by the general narrative of five retentions allowed to each of the ten franchises, DC are sure of picking the abovementioned three Indian players, with rookie top-order batter Jake Fraser-McGurk and Tristan Stubbs leading the race for the remaining two spots in the overseas players category.

In the case of BCCI allowing provision to retain uncapped players, the Delhi team might retain keeper-batter Abishek Porel.

Meanwhile, the BCCI is closing in on finalising the revised retention rules, with a number of retentions and clarity surrounding bringing back the Right to Match (RTM) card being the top highlights.

Delhi, earlier this year, parted ways with head coach Ricky Ponting after seven seasons, with the Australian joining Punjab Kings in a similar capacity ahead of IPL 2025.

(With inputs from agencies)