October 12th 2024.
In a surprising move, Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper and captain of the Delhi Capitals, has caused quite a stir among his fans and franchise with a cryptic post on social media. As the upcoming IPL mega auction approaches, Pant took to X to ask a thought-provoking question - if he were to go under the hammer, how much would he be worth? Would he be a highly coveted player, or would he go unsold?
Pant's return to competitive cricket earlier this year, after recovering from a serious car accident that kept him out of the entire 2023 season, was a triumphant one. He even went on to win the ICC T20 World Cup with Rohit Sharma's team, before making his way back into the ODI and Test squads.
With the BCCI announcing the IPL Player Regulations last month, the Delhi Capitals' co-owner Parth Jindal has confirmed that Pant will definitely be retained by the franchise. Jindal expressed, "We definitely have to retain our top players. We have a strong team, and after discussions with GMR and our director of cricket, Sourav Ganguly, a decision will be made. Rishabh Pant will definitely be one of our retentions."
Jindal also mentioned some other key players that the Delhi Capitals have their eye on, including Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Kuldeep Yadav, Abishek Porel, Mukesh Kumar, and Khaleel Ahmed. However, with the new rule allowing only six retentions, the franchise will have to carefully consider their options before heading into the auction.
Pant has also recently shut down rumors of a potential move to the Royal Challengers Bangalore, after a social media user claimed he would be joining the team ahead of the auction. The wicketkeeper responded strongly, dismissing the rumors as "fake news."
The rules for the upcoming auction have been set by the BCCI, with franchises having the option to retain a total of six players from their current squad. This can be done through retention or by using the Right to Match option. Out of the six retentions, only five can be capped players, and the remaining two must be uncapped.
The total salary cap for the franchises for the IPL 2025 has been increased to Rs 120 crore, which includes the auction purse, incremental performance pay, and match fees. This is a significant increase from the previous year's salary cap of Rs 110 crore. However, this amount will further increase to Rs 146 crore, Rs 151 crore, and Rs 157 crore in the upcoming years.
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