Star India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant made a strong statement in the ongoing 1st Test against Bangladesh in Chennai as he scored his 6th Test century during the second innings of the match. Making his first Test appearance after December 2022, Pant took the Bangladesh bowlers to the cleaners during his 109-run stay in the middle. While Pant has been in the news over the speculations about his future at Delhi Capitals (DC), it has now been reported that the 26-year-old is set to be retained by the franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, Pant met with DC co-owner Parth Jindal in Mumbai ahead of the 1st Test against Bangladesh in Chennai to finalise the player’s contract talks.
The report also claimed that Pant might get a better contract, having been retained by DC for Rs 16 crore ahead of the mega auction in 2022.
"Pant's current IPL salary is INR 16 crore, but this figure is expected to go up based on the total player purse allowed to a franchise and the retention fee guidelines set by the BCCI," the report said.
The two co-owners of DC, the GMR and JSW Groups, have also finalised a few more names, as far as the other retention calls are expected.
"If the BCCI allows more than five players to be retained, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are expected to be kept by the franchise, likely in that order, with Jake Fraser-McGurk and Tristan Stubbs as the overseas retentions. Additionally, if there is a provision to retain uncapped players, the DC management is expected to go with 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Abhishek Porel,” the report added.
Pant returned to competitive cricket earlier this year in the IPL, leading DC to a sixth-placed finish.
A recent report claimed that the IPL 2025 mega auction will be two-day affair and could be held overseas in November end or early December this year.
"IPL 2025 auction will take place in November end or early December this year. Rules of it will be out in couple of days," BCCI sources told IANS.
Meanwhile, the declaration of the retention rules has been delayed, and it is now understood that the BCCI might make the announcement at any time.
