In a blockbuster IPL trade ahead of the 2027 edition, Rishabh Pant has returned home to Delhi Capitals (DC) with Kuldeep Yadav joining the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Pant will be back playing for Delhi, for whom he made his IPL debut and represented them for nine seasons from 2016 to 2024. Lucknow bought Pant at the mega auction ahead of the 2025 edition for a record price of INR 27 crore, making him the most expensive player in the tournament’s auction history. While Pant took a significant cut for his switch to DC at a revised fee of INR 15 crore, Kuldeep moved to LSG for his current fee of INR 13.50 crore.&nbsp;This financial gap leaves LSG with an extra INR 13.50 crore in their purse ahead of the upcoming mini-auction (INR 27cr - 13.50cr). Conversely, Delhi Capitals will see INR 1.50 crore deducted from their remaining balance. &nbsp;Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/vaibhav-sooryavanshi-india-jersey-number-03-puts-him-in-elite-company-of-harbhajan-singh-paolo-maldini-roberto-carlos-1782228906063">Sooryavanshi’s India jersey number puts him in elite company of Harbhajan, Maldini &amp; Roberto Carlos</a>&nbsp;Meanwhile, Pant is the second high-profile player after Ravindra Jadeja to take a pay cut for a move to another franchise. Ahead of IPL 2026, Jadeja, playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), was part of a swap trade, which also included English all-rounder Sam Curran, moving to Rajasthan Royals, with Sanju Samson joining CSK. In 2022, CSK retained Jadeja for INR 18 crore, but his move to RR cost the inaugural champions INR 14 crore. &nbsp;Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal wrote a thank-you note for Kuldeep, while welcoming his former franchise captain Pant with open arms. &nbsp;“Dear Kuldeep thank you for your service over the last 5 years @DelhiCapitals you have been a core part of our team and you will be sorely missed. Go well - you are a champion player and I am sure you will do extremely well back in your home ground. Rishabh - Kiran and I are both happy to have you back at DC. Hope you can find your best form back home in Delhi. @IPL,” he wrote on his X handle.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Dear Kuldeep thank you for your service over the last 5 years <a href="https://x.com/DelhiCapitals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DelhiCapitals</a> you have been a core part of our team and you will be sorely missed. Go well - you are a champion player and i am sure you will do extremely well back in your home ground. Rishabh - Kiran and I are both…&mdash; Parth Jindal (@ParthJindal11) <a href="https://x.com/ParthJindal11/status/2069336766054633796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Meanwhile, both players struggled for their respective teams in IPL 2026. While Pant’s LSG finished at the bottom of the points table with just four wins from 14 matches, Kuldeep’s Delhi also failed to qualify for the playoffs. Personally, their performances were below par too. &nbsp;Pant scored just 312 runs in 13 outings, striking at close to 140 (138.05), and Kuldeep returned with fewer wickets than the matches he played in, finishing with 10 scalps in 11 games. Overall, though, Kuldeep fared decently for Delhi, picking up 72 wickets in 65 outings at an economy of 8.24.

In a blockbuster IPL trade, Rishabh Pant returns to Delhi Capitals on a revised INR 15Cr fee, while spinner Kuldeep Yadav joins LSG. Read details here.

In a blockbuster IPL trade ahead of the 2027 edition, Rishabh Pant has returned home to Delhi Capitals (DC) with Kuldeep Yadav joining the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Pant will be back playing for Delhi, for whom he made his IPL debut and represented them for nine seasons from 2016 to 2024. Lucknow bought Pant at the mega auction ahead of the 2025 edition for a record price of INR 27 crore, making him the most expensive player in the tournament’s auction history. While Pant took a significant cut for his switch to DC at a revised fee of INR 15 crore, Kuldeep moved to LSG for his current fee of INR 13.50 crore. This financial gap leaves LSG with an extra INR 13.50 crore in their purse ahead of the upcoming mini-auction (INR 27cr - 13.50cr). Conversely, Delhi Capitals will see INR 1.50 crore deducted from their remaining balance. Also read | Sooryavanshi’s India jersey number puts him in elite company of Harbhajan, Maldini & Roberto Carlos Meanwhile, Pant is the second high-profile player after Ravindra Jadeja to take a pay cut for a move to another franchise. Ahead of IPL 2026, Jadeja, playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), was part of a swap trade, which also included English all-rounder Sam Curran, moving to Rajasthan Royals, with Sanju Samson joining CSK. In 2022, CSK retained Jadeja for INR 18 crore, but his move to RR cost the inaugural champions INR 14 crore. Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal wrote a thank-you note for Kuldeep, while welcoming his former franchise captain Pant with open arms. “Dear Kuldeep thank you for your service over the last 5 years @DelhiCapitals you have been a core part of our team and you will be sorely missed. Go well - you are a champion player and I am sure you will do extremely well back in your home ground. Rishabh - Kiran and I are both happy to have you back at DC. Hope you can find your best form back home in Delhi. @IPL,” he wrote on his X handle.

In a blockbuster IPL trade, Rishabh Pant returns to Delhi Capitals on a revised INR 15Cr fee, while spinner Kuldeep Yadav joins LSG. Read details here.

Rishabh Pant returns to Delhi Capitals, Kuldeep Yadav moves to LSG in blockbuster IPL trade

Rishabh Pant will lead the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 edition, confirmed co-owner of the franchise Parth Jindal. Pant is gearing up for his much-awaited return to competitive cricket since his fatal car accident in Dec 2022. Jindal, however, revealed that Pant will play solely as a&nbsp;batter in the first half of the tournament.

"Rishabh is batting. He's running. He has started his wicketkeeping. He is likely to be fully fit for the IPL. I am expecting Rishabh to play IPL and he will lead from match one. First seven games, we are going to play him only as a batter and depending on how his body reacts, we will take a call for the rest of the IPL," Jindal said while speaking to ESPN Cricinfo.

Pant has been posting videos of his preparations for IPL 2024. He has missed a considerable amount of cricket following his horrific car crash. With him returning for DC, it will bolster their squad as the team struggled in IPL 2023 and ended at the ninth spot under David Warner. While the Delhi camp is happy to reappoint Pant as the captain, they are believed to be taking it slow with the Indian star batter as he won't be donning the gloves at least in the first half of the mega event.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2024-schedule-announcement-csk-vs-rcb-to-headline-opener-on-march-22-in-chennai-692738">IPL 2024 Schedule Announcement: CSK vs RCB to headline opener on March 22 in Chennai</a>

Jindal also opined on pacer Anrich Nortje, who has missed a lot of cricket in recent times due to injury concerns. On the South African pacer, who missed the 2023 ODI World Cup, SA20 and the entire multi-format series versus India at home, Jindal stated, "He's fit. Right now, he is bowing at 80 per cent&nbsp;intensity. Next week, he will bowl at 100 per cent. He's going to make his comeback in the IPL. He is going to join our camp and should be good to go for our first game."

On Thursday (Feb 22), the partial schedule of IPL 2024 was released which covers fixtures&nbsp;for the first two weeks. Delhi will not play their first two home games at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the national capital as the ground will not be ready to host the matches soon after WPL 2024. Thus, they have opted to play in Visakhapatnam.

DC squad for IPL 2024:

Rishabh Pant (c), Pravin Dubey, David Warner, Vicky Ostwal, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, Abishek Porel, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Lungi Ngidi, Lalit Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Mitchell Marsh, Ishant Sharma, Yash Dhull, Mukesh Kumar, Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs, Ricky Bhui, Kumar Kushagra, Rasikh Dar, Jhye Richardson, Sumit Kumar, Shai Hope, Swastik Chhikara.

Rishabh Pant will lead the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 edition, confirmed co-owner of the franchise Parth Jindal. Pant is gearing up for his much-awaited return to competitive cricket since his fatal car accident in Dec 2022.

Rishabh Pant will lead the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 edition, confirmed co-owner of the franchise Parth Jindal. Pant is gearing up for his much-awaited return to competitive cricket since his fatal car accident in Dec 2022. Jindal, however, revealed that Pant will play solely as a batter in the first half of the tournament. "Rishabh is batting. He's running. He has started his wicketkeeping. He is likely to be fully fit for the IPL. I am expecting Rishabh to play IPL and he will lead from match one. First seven games, we are going to play him only as a batter and depending on how his body reacts, we will take a call for the rest of the IPL," Jindal said while speaking to ESPN Cricinfo. Pant has been posting videos of his preparations for IPL 2024. He has missed a considerable amount of cricket following his horrific car crash. With him returning for DC, it will bolster their squad as the team struggled in IPL 2023 and ended at the ninth spot under David Warner. While the Delhi camp is happy to reappoint Pant as the captain, they are believed to be taking it slow with the Indian star batter as he won't be donning the gloves at least in the first half of the mega event. Also read: IPL 2024 Schedule Announcement: CSK vs RCB to headline opener on March 22 in Chennai Jindal also opined on pacer Anrich Nortje, who has missed a lot of cricket in recent times due to injury concerns. On the South African pacer, who missed the 2023 ODI World Cup, SA20 and the entire multi-format series versus India at home, Jindal stated, "He's fit. Right now, he is bowing at 80 per cent intensity. Next week, he will bowl at 100 per cent. He's going to make his comeback in the IPL. He is going to join our camp and should be good to go for our first game." On Thursday (Feb 22), the partial schedule of IPL 2024 was released which covers fixtures for the first two weeks. Delhi will not play their first two home games at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the national capital as the ground will not be ready to host the matches soon after WPL 2024. Thus, they have opted to play in Visakhapatnam. DC squad for IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant (c), Pravin Dubey, David Warner, Vicky Ostwal, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, Abishek Porel, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Lungi Ngidi, Lalit Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Mitchell Marsh, Ishant Sharma, Yash Dhull, Mukesh Kumar, Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs, Ricky Bhui, Kumar Kushagra, Rasikh Dar, Jhye Richardson, Sumit Kumar, Shai Hope, Swastik Chhikara.

IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant will lead Delhi Capitals, to play as pure batter during 1st half, confirms co-owner

West Indies legend Brian Lara has lavished high praise on Delhi Capitals wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant as the former Windies skipper said the southpaw has “vastly” improved his overall game while adding that his off-side game has gone a notch above and Pant now has the ability to score runs in all parts of the ground.

Pant has played a vital role in providing Delhi Capitals a rampaging start in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl">Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020</a> and has scored: 31, 37*, 28, 38, 37 in IPL 2020. Interestingly, he seems more cautious of playing his lofted strokes and is valuing his wicket more.

"I think he is a major asset for the Delhi Capitals, but today he has also vastly improved his game. I am talking about his batting and the improvements he made in that department," Brian Lara told Star Sports.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-mid-season-transfer-window-players-list-eligibility-criteria-rules-and-more-333959" hreflang="en">IPL 2020 mid-season transfer window: Players list, eligibility criteria, rules and more</a>

"On what is immediately noticeable is his propensity to try and get everything to the leg-side. Also, look at his run-scoring chart and that's quite a proof of that fascination he has with the on-side. I think he has come to the realization that this is not working and he went away and worked on improving his off-side play.

Lara further said that Pant has tweaked his game-style and doesn’t loses his balance to create strokes towards the leg-side of the field while adding the youngster has a long-long way to go.

"Now look at the changes he made. Now he has the ability to score runs in all parts of the ground. His scoring charts are looking impressive, and yes, more worry for the bowlers.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/bcci-apex-council-meeting-on-october-17-domestic-season-home-series-against-england-on-agenda-333977" hreflang="en">BCCI Apex Council meeting on October 17: Domestic season, home series against England on agenda</a>

"He is now very well balanced and he is looking to score in key areas that he is not accustomed to scoring over extra cover, over point, in front of the point and his balance and his weight is staying there, he is not falling over to the off-side to create shots on the leg side.

"That is a vast improvement that he has made, which obviously going to help his all-round batting. I believe, this young lad has a long-long way to go," Lara added.

Meanwhile, Pant has accumulated as many as 1907 runs in 59 IPL matches, which includes a century and 11 half-centuries for Delhi Capitals. He will be seen in action against Rajasthan Royals on Friday in Sharjah. 
&nbsp;

West Indies legend Brian Lara has lavished high praise on Delhi Capitals wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant as the former Windies skipper said the southpaw has “vastly” improved his overall game while adding that his off-side game has gone a notch above and Pant now has the ability to score runs in all parts of the ground.

West Indies legend Brian Lara has lavished high praise on Delhi Capitals wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant as the former Windies skipper said the southpaw has “vastly” improved his overall game while adding that his off-side game has gone a notch above and Pant now has the ability to score runs in all parts of the ground. Pant has played a vital role in providing Delhi Capitals a rampaging start in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 and has scored: 31, 37*, 28, 38, 37 in IPL 2020. Interestingly, he seems more cautious of playing his lofted strokes and is valuing his wicket more. "I think he is a major asset for the Delhi Capitals, but today he has also vastly improved his game. I am talking about his batting and the improvements he made in that department," Brian Lara told Star Sports. ALSO READ: IPL 2020 mid-season transfer window: Players list, eligibility criteria, rules and more "On what is immediately noticeable is his propensity to try and get everything to the leg-side. Also, look at his run-scoring chart and that's quite a proof of that fascination he has with the on-side. I think he has come to the realization that this is not working and he went away and worked on improving his off-side play. Lara further said that Pant has tweaked his game-style and doesn’t loses his balance to create strokes towards the leg-side of the field while adding the youngster has a long-long way to go. "Now look at the changes he made. Now he has the ability to score runs in all parts of the ground. His scoring charts are looking impressive, and yes, more worry for the bowlers. ALSO READ: BCCI Apex Council meeting on October 17: Domestic season, home series against England on agenda "He is now very well balanced and he is looking to score in key areas that he is not accustomed to scoring over extra cover, over point, in front of the point and his balance and his weight is staying there, he is not falling over to the off-side to create shots on the leg side. "That is a vast improvement that he has made, which obviously going to help his all-round batting. I believe, this young lad has a long-long way to go," Lara added. Meanwhile, Pant has accumulated as many as 1907 runs in 59 IPL matches, which includes a century and 11 half-centuries for Delhi Capitals. He will be seen in action against Rajasthan Royals on Friday in Sharjah.

IPL 2020: Rishabh Pant a major asset for Delhi Capitals, says Brian Lara