Rishabh Pant takes huge pay cut to return to Delhi Capitals, Kuldeep joins LSG

Former Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant is set to return to Delhi Capitals (DC), while spinner Kuldeep Yadav will head in the opposite direction to join Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), in one of the biggest player deals in recent IPL history.

Pant returns to the franchise, where he spent nine seasons between 2016 and 2024 and played 111 matches – the most by any player for the Delhi Capitals. Pant, one of the defining faces of the franchise for nearly a decade, also captained the team in 43 matches over four seasons between 2021 and 2024.

In the TATA IPL 2025 player auction, Pant was acquired by LSG for a record INR 27 crore – the highest winning bid in IPL history. He will rejoin the Delhi Capitals for a revised fee of INR 15 million after the trade deal.

Kuldeep, meanwhile, is leaving Delhi after an impressive five-year stint with the franchise. Since joining DC in 2022, the left-arm wrister has taken 72 wickets in 65 matches and established himself as one of the most effective bowlers in the competition.

One of India’s leading white-ball bowlers, Kuldeep will join Lucknow Super Giants for an existing fee of INR 13.50 crore.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

June 23, 2026 1:48 PM IST