India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is all set to be retained by Delhi Capitals ahead of the mega auction for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, according to a report. The development came on the same day when Pant smashed an emotional century in the opening Test match of the two-game series against Bangladesh in Chennai, in what was his first appearance in the format since surviving that horrific car crash in December 2022.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, the Capitals will retain Pant, contrary to an earlier report that hinted that the franchise might release the captain owing to a disagreement between him and management over the retention fee. There was also a separate report in Dainik Jagran that indicated that Chennai Super Kings are eager to rope in Pant as a replacement for their former captain, MS Dhoni, if Delhi releases him.

Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to announce the rules of retention for the upcoming mega auction, the report added that Delhi Capitals finalised their top choices following a recent meeting between Pant and co-owner Parth Jindal in Mumbai. Pant's current salary of INR 16 crore is also expected to increase based on the guidelines set for the auction pertaining to the purse value for each franchise.

Pant had missed the 2023 season of the IPL after that car accident in December 2022. However, after spending over 15 months in recovery, he returned to competitive cricket in IPL 2024, where he scored 446 runs in 13 matches with three fifties. He later made a comeback to the Indian team in the T20 World Cup and on Saturday, in his returning Test match, scored a 109-run knock against Bangladesh to match MS Dhoni's record for most tons as India wicketkeeper-batter.

Delhi Capitals to also retain...

The Cricbuzz report also revealed that the Delhi Capitals management finalised on a few other names, which include India's T20 World Cup final hero Axar Patel, teammate Kuldeep Yadav, in that order, followed by young overseas batters in Jake Fraser-McGurk and Tristan Stubbs. Moreover, if there is an additional rule to retain an uncapped player, they would go for 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Abhishek Porel.

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