Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani differs with Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal, and revealed “money” was certainly the reason why Rishabh Pant left the franchise. Rishabh Pant was bagged by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Rs 27 crores after a ferocious bidding war.
“He wanted not to be retained,” Badani told Subramaniam Badrinath on a podcast “Cric It with Badri.”
“He said he wanted to go to the auction and test the market. If you want to retain a player, both parties have to agree on certain things. We tried talking to him, the management tried talking to him. There was a lot of phone calls and message exchanged,” said Badani.
The former India batter also said that the Delhi Capitals were keen to retain Rishabh Pant and that’s why they even used their Right To Match (RTM) card for him at Rs 21 crore.
“Yes, Delhi Capitals were interested in retaining him. He said he wanted to go to the auction and test the market. He said he has had a feeling that there were chances he would get more money than the highest cap for retained player, which is Rs 18 crore,” said Badani.
“And at the end of the day, he felt he was worth more. And the market said the same thing. He got Rs 27 crore. Good for him. He is a very good player. We will obviously miss him. But life goes on,” he added.
After the auction, Delhi Capitals’ co-owner Parth Jindal had posted a heartfelt note on X, bidding farewell to former skipper Rishabh Pant and hoped that the player and the franchise could reunite somewhere down the line in the future.
“To Rishabh @RishabhPant17, you are and will always remain my younger brother – from the bottom of my heart I love you and I have tried everything to make sure you are happy and have treated you like my family. I am very sad to see you go and I am very emotional about it. You will always be in DC and I hope one day we can reunite. Thank you for everything Rishabh and remember that we will always love you – go well champ, the world is at your feet. Best wishes from all of us at @DelhiCapitals – other than when you play DC I will be cheering and hoping for the best for you!,” he wrote in the X post.
Pant replied to the post saying, “Thanku bhaiya the feeling is mutual. Means a lot.”
“Goodbyes are never easy. The journey with Delhi Capitals has been nothing short of amazing…I’ve grown in ways I never imagined. I came here as a teenager and we grew together over the last nine years. “As I move on, I carry your love and support in my heart. I’ll look forward to entertain you whenever I take the field. Thank you for being my family and making this journey so special,” Pant had posted on X tagging Delhi Capitals.
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