With no Rishabh Pant in Delhi Capitals, there are strong talks circulating that this southpaw will not only attract many bidders but could potentially command a big amount in IPL 2025 mega auction, which no one has ever witnessed in IPL history. Many believe that teams like Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and even Mumbai Indians could target Rishabh Pant, as all these teams need a wicketkeeper-batter. Although CSK has MS Dhoni for one more season, looking at the long-term picture, they need a high-reputation player to step into Dhoni’s shoes and carry the legacy forward.
However, we can also expect Punjab Kings to shock everyone. When the retention list was announced, many were surprised to see only two names, Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh in PBKS’s retention box, meaning the team will need to fill all the other spots. There are chances they will go for Rishabh Pant, and there are multiple reasons why PBKS should target him.
Big Auction Purse
One of the biggest reasons why PBKS might go for Rishabh Pant is the amount of money left in their purse, as they retained just two players. The side now has 110.50 crore rupees available, which they will look to utilise well. Although the only downside of retaining fewer players is that they will need to fill other spots as well, whether it’s for batters, bowlers, or all-rounders. They will need to spread the money across all these areas. However, one player they can place a big bet on is Rishabh Pant, and they may be willing to spend more than 20 crore rupees to secure him for the Punjab Kings in IPL 2025.
PBKS needs wicketkeeper-batter and captain
As mentioned, PBKS has many spots to fill, and they currently don’t have a wicketkeeper-batter, and more importantly, no captain. PBKS has had a history of not relying on one captain for long, as we’ve seen how big names have been dethroned by the management in no time. However, a player like Rishabh Pant, who has already served as captain of Delhi Capitals for so long and delivered decent results, could be a great fit. There is no doubt that if Punjab Kings manage to secure Pant, they could make him their captain as well.
Ricky Ponting – Rishabh Pant Duo
Everyone is well aware that Rishabh Pant was with Ricky Ponting when Punter was a Head Coach to Delhi Capitals, starting from 2018 until the last IPL. We have seen how the Australian legend supported Rishabh Pant during that time, as he was the coach of the team. Now, since Punjab Kings have Ricky Ponting as their head coach, we could see Ponting also making an effort to bring this player into the team. As mentioned, given how the Australian legend supported Pant, this could be another influential factor in getting Pant into the PBKS mix.
