Rishabh Pant is tipped to be the costliest Indian player in the history of IPL auctions and he can breach the elusive 20-crore mark. No Indian player has ever breached this mark and Rishabh is expected to earn more than this in the mega-auction. Delhi Capitals (DC) released their captain on the retention day.
Rishabh joined DC in the IPL 2016 auction and was retained by them before the IPL 2018 and 2022 mega-auctions. The wicketkeeper-batsman is one of the biggest names and almost every team is expected to bid for him. While Punjab Kings are favourites to buy him, there are few franchises which might not be able to buy him even if they want to. Here we have a look at them –
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is one of the franchises that would definitely want to buy Rishabh Pant as he will be a perfect replacement for MS Dhoni in the long run. But the Yellow Army does not have enough balance in the kitty. The five-time IPL Champions have a purse of Rs 55 crore and they can't really spend 20-25 crore on just one player.
CSK still have to cover lot of areas and they might not be able to make the winning bid for Rishabh even if they want to. CSK have one RTM card left.
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians kept their core and retained five capped players on the retention day. The Hardik Pandya-led side spent 75 crore and has a balance of only 45 crore. MI cannot really big for just one player as they have to build a team.
They might once again go for Ishan Kishan. The former India U-19 captain joined MI for Rs 15.25 crore in the IPL 2022 mega-auction but his price is likely to drop. MI might not be able to make a winning bid for MI.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was one of the two teams which retained six players on the retention day. Since they retained two uncapped players, KKR will have a balance of Rs 51 crore. They have to buy a new captain in the mega-auction.
KKR will surely go big for Rishabh if they are looking at him as their future captain. KKR might not be able to buy him if they aren't in their plans for the captaincy role. KKR are expected to spend 'big money' on their next captain.