Rishabh Pant is expected to join Delhi Capitals (DC) through a mega transfer from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of the IPL 2027 season. Both franchises are finishing the paperwork and waiting for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to approve it. This move marks one of the most dramatic player swaps in IPL history.
The trade is a direct player exchange. Star left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav will leave the Delhi Capitals to join the Lucknow Super Giants. Pant, who became the IPL’s most expensive buy at ₹27 crore during the 2025 mega auction, will move back to Delhi for ₹15 crore—a ₹12 crore salary drop.
Trade Breakdown: Numbers That Tell the Story
| Trade Component | Player | Financial Value |
| Moving to the Delhi Capitals | Rishabh Pant | ₹15 Crore |
| Moving to Lucknow Super Giants | Kuldeep Yadav | ₹13.25 Crore |
| Cash Adjustment | Paid by DC to LSG | ₹13.75 Crore |
Why Pant Is Leaving Lucknow Super Giants
Pant’s two seasons with Lucknow turned out to be tougher than expected. The team struggled badly on the pitch and finished at the very bottom of the points table in IPL 2026. Pant tallied just 312 runs in 14 games during that disastrous season.
As captain, Pant led LSG to 10 wins and 18 losses across two seasons, scoring 581 runs at an average of 26.4 and a strike rate of 135.74. These numbers fell far short of expectations after his record signing.
Just two days before the IPL 2026 final, Pant stepped down as captain and was asked to leave the team. His leadership stint yielded results that simply did not match the hype surrounding his ₹27 crore contract.
Reports also suggest Pant attracted interest from two other franchises, including one multiple-time IPL champion, before talks progressed with Delhi Capitals.
An Emotional Homecoming for Pant
This trade brings Pant back to the team where his IPL career started in 2016. He played 111 matches for Delhi before being released ahead of the 2025 IPL auction. The Arun Jaitley Stadium, in which he has played for eight years, will host him once again in his actuaciones.
This looks like a repetition of the incident when Hardik Pandya made an iconic return to the Mumbai Indians after leaving the original franchise and having some issues at another team.
Pant’s return also makes Kuldeep Yadav’s move meaningful. Both players have connections to Delhi. Pant played his IPL career there, while Kuldeep played his domestic cricket for Delhi. It’s a homecoming of sorts for both.
What This Means for Both Teams
For Delhi Capitals, getting Pant back at ₹15 crore instead of his ₹27 crore valuation is a smart financial move. They can now play with their former best player and captain-batsman without having to pay him the highest price. Pant’s aggressive batting and captaincy experience may give new life to a struggling team.
For the Lucknow Super Giants, Kuldeep Yadav is a proven spinner. He has managed to take 72 wickets in 65 games for DC since 2022 at a run rate of 8.24. Though he had limited opportunities during India’s T20 World Cup campaign, Kuldeep remains a key performer for any team.
Pending BCCI Approval
Both franchises are still completing the formalities of this deal. The trade now awaits ratification from the BCCI and IPL before it becomes official. A source familiar with the development confirmed to IANS that the Pant-Kuldeep swap via trade is happening, but amounts and other formalities are pending approval.
Once approved, this will be the first trade ahead of IPL 2027, setting the tone for what could be an active trade window before the next season.
Pant’s Pay Cut Shows Priority Shift
Taking a ₹12 crore pay cut is not a small decision for any player. In fact, Pant’s willingness to agree to such a compromise clearly indicates that he values playing for the Delhi Capitals more than his salary. Thus, he became the second well-known athlete to make a sacrifice in order to move to another team by means of an IPL transfer and took a pay cut after Ravindra Jadeja.
Before that, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals had conducted a large-scale swap between Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson before IPL 2026, which was accompanied by the reassessment of the players’ contracts.
The Bottom Line
The return of Rishabh Pant to Delhi Capitals seems to be finalized now, because of the approval by the BCCI. Moreover, the trade value of ₹15 crores, relocation of Kuldeep Yadav to Lucknow and pay cut of ₹12 crores of Pant can indicate that it is a deal that is based on emotions rather than finance.
