Rishabh Pant is officially heading back to Delhi Capitals. The BCCI confirmed on Tuesday, June 23 that DC and Lucknow Super Giants have completed the first major trade ahead of IPL 2027, with Pant rejoining his former franchise at a revised fee of ₹15 crore.
In exchange, left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav moves from DC to LSG at his existing price of ₹13.5 crore. Pant takes a massive ₹12 crore pay cut in the process, dropping from the ₹27 crore LSG paid for him at the 2025 mega auction. It’s the most significant IPL trade since the Sanju Samson-Ravindra Jadeja swap between CSK and RR last year.
How Does the Trade Affect Each Team’s Auction Purse?
The financial breakdown is straightforward.
LSG benefit significantly. They offload Pant’s ₹27 crore salary and acquire Kuldeep for ₹13.25 crore, freeing up ₹13.75 crore in their auction purse ahead of IPL 2027. That’s serious spending power for a franchise that needs to rebuild after finishing last on the points table in 2026.
DC take a minor hit. They send out Kuldeep’s ₹13.75 crore contract and bring in Pant at ₹15 crore, meaning only ₹1.25 crore gets deducted from their available purse. For a player of Pant’s calibre and marketability, that’s remarkably cheap.
| Player | From | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rishabh Pant | LSG | DC | ₹15 crore |
| Kuldeep Yadav | DC | LSG | ₹13.5 crore |
Pant becomes the second high-profile player to accept a pay cut through an IPL trade, following Ravindra Jadeja’s move from CSK to RR before IPL 2026.
Why Did Pant Leave LSG?
Two disastrous seasons left no room for sentiment.
In IPL 2025, Pant scored just 269 runs in 14 matches at an average of 24.45 and a strike rate of 133.16. His numbers barely improved in IPL 2026: 312 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28.36 and a strike rate of 138.05. Across both seasons combined, he managed only three fifty-plus scores in 28 innings.
As captain, the results were even bleaker. Pant won just 10 matches and lost 18 across two seasons. LSG finished seventh in 2025 and then dead last in 2026. That bottom-table finish triggered a complete rethink from the franchise leadership.
Two days before the IPL 2026 final, Pant told LSG he was stepping down as captain. Team director Tom Moody had already publicly signalled a “reset” was coming after LSG’s final league match. The writing was on the wall.
What Does Pant Bring Back to Delhi Capitals?
Everything he brought the first time. And then some.
Pant spent nine seasons at DC from 2016 to 2024. He played 111 matches for the franchise, the most by any player in their history. He captained the side in 43 matches across four seasons (2021-2024) and was the heartbeat of their batting lineup during their most competitive years.
His overall IPL career stands at 3,865 runs in 139 matches at an average of 33.6 and a strike rate of 146.79, with two centuries and 20 half-centuries. The explosive ability hasn’t disappeared. The consistent finishing touch just went missing at LSG.
Returning to a familiar dressing room under KL Rahul’s captaincy could be exactly what Pant needs to rediscover his best form. DC’s home ground, the Arun Jaitley Stadium, has always been a venue where Pant thrives.
What Does Kuldeep Yadav Bring to LSG?
Kuldeep may have struggled in IPL 2026 (10 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 10.29), but his longer track record at DC tells a different story.
Since joining Delhi in 2022, the chinaman bowler picked up 72 wickets in 65 matches at an economy of 8.24. His total IPL career tally stands at 112 wickets in 110 matches. At his best, Kuldeep is one of the most difficult bowlers to read in T20 cricket.
The move also carries a personal connection. Kuldeep plays domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh, and LSG represent that state in the IPL. He’ll now bowl on home pitches at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium, where conditions typically assist spinners more than most IPL venues.
For LSG, acquiring an international-quality wrist-spinner adds a weapon they desperately lacked in 2026. Their spin attack relied heavily on Wanindu Hasaranga (when fit) and lacked a dependable Indian spinner. Kuldeep fills that gap immediately.
How Does This Compare to Other Big IPL Trades?
This ranks among the most high-profile IPL trades ever:
- Sanju Samson (RR to CSK) for Ravindra Jadeja + Sam Curran (CSK to RR) before IPL 2026
- Shreyas Iyer (KKR to PBKS) before IPL 2026
- Hardik Pandya (GT to MI) before IPL 2024
Pant’s return to DC mirrors Hardik Pandya’s homecoming to Mumbai Indians in 2024. Both players left their original franchises through auctions, struggled elsewhere, and eventually traded their way back. Both also accepted reduced salaries to make the move happen.
What’s Next for Both Franchises?
Delhi Capitals now have a formidable core for IPL 2027. KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Mitchell Starc, Axar Patel, and the emerging Abhishek Porel give them batting depth and match-winning ability across positions. The only question is whether Pant plays as a specialist batter or takes the gloves from Rahul.
LSG enter a full rebuild phase. With Pant gone and the captaincy vacant, they need a new leader. Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram are the leading candidates. Adding Kuldeep alongside the returning Hasaranga gives them a spin-heavy approach that could suit Ekana’s pitches perfectly.
From ₹27 crore record buy to ₹15 crore trade return, Pant’s IPL journey has taken the most unexpected detour. But he’s heading home. And in cricket, as in life, sometimes going back to where you started is exactly how you move forward.
