IPL: Here’s why Rishabh Pant decided to leave Delhi Capitals

As flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant’s nine-year association with the Delhi Capitals officially ended on Thursday, a report has revealed some eye-opening reasons behind it.

According to a PTI report, Pant was unhappy not only with the money but also with the fact that his powers were limited to GMR, the co-owners of Delhi Capitals, who will run the show for the next two years.

It is learned that he is also unhappy with Hemang Badani as head coach and Venugopal Rao as team director, the report said.

Delhi Capitals’ ownership structure is complex, with co-owners GMR and JSW given the power to control management for two consecutive years. Hence, Pant, who is an employee of JSW, was not the best choice to lead GMR.

The report also states that once GMR took charge, they removed the previous coaching management, including former director of cricket Sourav Ganguly, and brought in Venugopal Rao.

Discussions over the past month had yielded no result and Pant was reluctant to work with the unfamiliar coaching staff thrust upon him by the new management, the report said.

Meanwhile, Pant could well become the highest-paid player in the Indian Premier League if the Punjab Kings, known for robbing banks every two years while searching for a new captain and ‘X-factor’, decide to select him.

“Real bidding for Rishabh will start from Rs 20 crore onwards. There will be three teams that can afford to bid big for him. One of them is Punjab Kings with revenue of Rs 110.5 crore. They need a new captain and brand. RCB has Rs 83 crore and LSG has Rs 69 crore and they also need a new captain,” a senior franchise official told PTI.

Industry insiders expect Pant to receive between Rs 25 crore and Rs 30 crore. – With PTI