Batbricks7

Delhi Capitals (DC) and Rishabh Pant have decided to part ways as the association finally comes to an end since 2016.

As Thursday (Oct 31) is the retention deadline day, DC and Pant have separated with the star batter set to enter the IPL 2025 mega auction, to be held later in the year.

Meanwhile, DC have retained four players Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Kuldeep Yadav and Abhishek Porel.

As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, it is learnt that talks between DC's ownership group and Pant failed despite stretching over months and, hence, the star India keeper-batter has been released.

However, it is understood that the 2020 runners-up will still attempt to buy back Pant via the Right To Match (RTM) card in the auction proceedings.

The franchise will have two RTM cards available at the auction table.

With three capped and one uncapped retentions, DC's purse will be depleted by at least INR 470 million (INR 47 crore), they will have INR 730 million (INR 73 crore) to rebuild their squad at the IPL 2025 auction.

Pant joined the DC franchise in 2016 and soon became a regular in the line-up.

He became DC's permanent captain in IPL 2022 and remained at the helm till the 2024 season (he missed the IPL 2023 edition due to a car crash).

Under him, DC had a mixed run, ending at the middle of the table.

However, he led the team to the playoffs in IPL 2021, where he led the whole season after then captain Shreyas Iyer's injury.

For DC, they have retained Axar (INR 180 million or 18 crore), Kuldeep (INR 111 million or 11 crore), Stubbs (INR 111 million or 11 crore) and uncapped player Porel (INR 40 million or 4 crore).

If they are not able to reacquire Pant at the auction, they will have to pick a new captain.