Rishabh Pant ‘has made his desire to captain India…’: DC co-owner Parth Jindal on Star Wicketkeeper

Delhi Capitals (DC) co-owner Parth Jindal said the franchise has broken up with India’s star wicketkeeper and marquee player. Rishabh Pant was due to differences in franchise management “philosophy” and had nothing to do with financial issues. Pant became the most expensive player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history when Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) acquired him for a staggering Rs 27 crore during the IPL mega auction held in Jeddah on Sunday.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo about Rishabh’s exit, Parth said, “It was just a different philosophy of how he wanted the franchise to work and how we, the owners, wanted the franchise to work. That’s what caused it. Money was never a problem for Rishabh and money was never a problem for us. I think the three of us (Kieran Grundy, Jindal and Pant) were on different wavelengths. call at the end. We tried everything, but in the end he decided it was time to move on.”

Parth admitted that the split was “devastating” for him personally. “I love this boy like my own brother. At the end of the day he answered the phone. We tried our best. He made a decision and we must respect it,” he added.

Parth clarified that leadership was not the contentious issue leading to Pant’s exit, although the wicketkeeper hopes to one day captain India.

“We gave him some feedback regarding leadership. We suggested ways in which he could improve, but we were very clear about his ambitions. We know where he wants to go. He has made it very clear that his dream and desire is to become the captain of India and that starts with captaining an IPL team,” he concluded.

The dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman is an all-rounder for Team India and a live wire on the field. Known for his ability to achieve big results in Test cricket, Pant has an equally reliable game in T20. While his T20I stats show 1209 runs in 76 matches at an average of 23.25 and a strike rate of nearly 128, his overall T20 figures are much more impressive: 5022 runs in 202 matches at an average of 31.78 and a strike rate of over 145, including including two centuries and 25 fifties.

Pant has been a key player for Delhi Capitals since 2016, scoring 3284 runs in 110 matches at an average of 35.31, a century and 18 fifties. He was named team captain in 2021 and led D.C. to the playoffs that season.