On the IPL 2025 retention day, Rishabh Pant was released by the Delhi Capitals (DC), ending his nine-season contract with the team. Surprisingly, the rumors that Rishabh was departing DC were confirmed. Rishabh seemed certain to remain with DC indefinitely, since he was their native star.

Rishabh participated in the IPL 2016 mini-auction with DC. Prior to the IPL 2018 and 2022 mega-auctions, he was kept on. Even when Shreyas Iyer returned during the second half of the season, Rishabh continued to lead DC as captain before the 2021 Indian Premier League. In the IPL 2020, Iyer led DC to their first-ever final.

Every franchise will have an equal opportunity to purchase Rishabh now that he is up for auction for the first time since 2016. However, DC will be able to outperform the other brands.

The Delhi Capitals may utilize both of their remaining Right to Match (RTM) cards on players who have caps. They may now spend the two RTMs on capped stars as DC kept uncapped Abhishek Porel on the retention day. One of them may also be used on a player that isn’t capped.

Despite Iyer’s release, DC attempted to re-sign him at the IPL 2022 mega-auction. Whether or not DC chooses to keep Rishabh in the mega-auction will be intriguing to watch.

In the mega-auction, DC may also place a bid for Shreyas Iyer, their former captain. His time as DC’s captain was unforgettable. Under his leadership, DC advanced to the IPL 2019 second round and participated in their first-ever final in 2020.

Iyer missed the first part of the 2021 Indian Premier League due to an injury. In the second part of the 2021 Indian Premier League, he played for Rishabh. In 2022, Iyer became a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He helped KKR win the IPL 2024 title, ending their ten-year drought. However, Iyer has returned to the mega-auction.