Rishabh Pant Rejoins Delhi Capitals for IPL 2027 After Challenging Stint at LSG

Rishabh Pant's Return to Delhi Capitals

Rishabh Pant is gearing up to return to the Delhi Capitals (DC) for the IPL 2027 season, marking his comeback to the franchise where he began his IPL journey in 2016. After playing for DC until IPL 2024, Pant was pursued by the team during the IPL 2025 mega-auction but was ultimately outbid by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who secured him for a staggering Rs 27 crore. During his time at LSG, Pant made headlines as the highest-paid player in IPL history for two consecutive seasons. Now, he is set to earn Rs 15 crore annually upon his return to DC.

Former South African captain AB de Villiers commented on Pant's decision to rejoin DC, suggesting that his frustrations during the previous season were evident in his post-match interviews. De Villiers, who played for DC from 2008 to 2010 before moving to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), expressed that Pant's return was not unexpected given the challenges he faced at LSG.

Challenges Faced by Rishabh Pant at LSG

Rishabh Pant's Struggles at LSG

During his tenure with Lucknow Super Giants, Rishabh Pant encountered difficulties both as a captain and a batsman. In IPL 2025, he accumulated only 269 runs across 13 innings, managing to score a century only after LSG had exited the tournament. The following season, he fared slightly better with 312 runs but recorded just one half-century. LSG struggled overall, achieving only 6 victories in 14 matches in 2025 and finishing at the bottom of the table in 2026 with just 4 wins.

Pant stepped down as captain of LSG before the conclusion of IPL 2026, leading to his swift return to DC, where he had previously captained from 2021 to 2024. In a trade, Kuldeep Yadav moved to LSG from DC in exchange for Pant.