As India and Australia face off in the first Test of the 5-match series in Perth, all eyes are also on the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. The mega auction, scheduled for Sunday and Monday in Saudi Arabia, is set to showcase Rishabh Pant as one of the top players to be acquired from the auction pool. While Pant was on the field during Day 1 of the Perth Test, Australian spinner Nathan Lyon even inquired about his future team at the IPL auction.
During a brief chat in the middle of the Perth Test, Pant responded with just two words when Lyon asked about his IPL destination - "No idea."
Contrary to Sunil Gavaskar's claim that Pant left Delhi Capitals due to a disagreement over his retention fee, Pant clarified on Tuesday that this was not the case. After captaining Delhi Capitals last year following a comeback from a serious car accident, Pant, along with other marquee players, was not retained by their franchises. He is anticipated to be one of the most sought-after players when the auction commences in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25.
"My retention wasn't about the money for sure that I can say," Pant wrote on X, responding to a broadcaster video showing Gavaskar talking about the auction dynamics.
Gavaskar expressed his belief that Delhi Capitals will likely re-sign Pant for the upcoming season. However, he also raised the question of whether there may be a disagreement between the franchise and the player regarding the fee.
"The auction dynamics are completely different; we don't really know how it will go. But what I feel is that Delhi would certainly want Rishabh Pant back in the squad," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
"Sometimes, when a player is to be retained, there is talk between the franchise and the player and franchise about the fees that are expected." "As you can see, some of the players who have been retained by the franchise, they've gone for more than say, what the No. 1 retention fee deduction would be. Clearly I think, maybe there was some disagreement over there," he said.
Pant, along with former captains Shreyas Iyer of the Kolkata Knight Riders and KL Rahul of the Lucknow Super Giants, is listed at a base price of Rs 2 crore each as marquee Indian players.
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