Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: The deadline for IPL teams to submit their list of retentions is just a week away and a lot of franchises, particularly the ones in need of a captain, are keeping a close tab on developments in the Delhi Capitals camp.
It is reliably understood that Rishabh Pant, who isn’t the franchise’s choice for captaincy, is highly likely to enter the mega auction ahead of IPL 2025.There have been several discussions between Pant and the DC owners, and the latest indications are that the wicketkeeper-batter wants captaincy but the current management is not very keen on that.
The 27-year-old has been with the DC since the 2016 edition but could well turn out in different colours in the new IPL cycle. Barring a last-minute change of heart, Pant is set to enter the auction and expected to be in high demand as plenty of franchises are in need of a captain.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are keeping a close tab and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they go aggressively for him during the mega-auction. Now with KL Rahul also slated to enter the auction pool, the options have increased for the RCB management but Pant is understood to be on their radar.
With Dinesh Karthik calling it a day, RCB are in need of a wicketkeeper in the middle-order and Pant perfectly fits the bill, and becomes a captaincy candidate too.
Not just RCB, Lucknow Supergiants, who have decided to part ways with Rahul, and Punjab Kings are likely to bid for the left-hander, too. Ricky Ponting is in charge of the Punjab unit from this season and he shares a very good relationship with Pant from their time at the Capitals.
As previously reported by TimesofIndia.com, with Shreyas Iyer not likely to be the top retention at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), this year’s mega-auction, expected to take place in the last week of November, will see a lot of Indian stars in the pool.
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Not many franchises are likely to go heavy on retentions and Mumbai Indians, with so much star power in their ranks, could well be the only team which retains 4-5 players.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have also more or less finalised their list and have Heinrich Klassen, Pat Cummins and Abhishek Sharma as their three picks.
With more players entering the auction, the Right To Match (RTM) card could be aggressively used but the twist in that rule is set to make this mega-auction a mouth-watering affair.
