Pant officially returns to Delhi Capitals for ₹15 crore:Kuldeep joins Lucknow for ₹13.50 crore, mega trade between LSG and DC

Rishabh Pant, the most expensive player in IPL history, has returned to Delhi Capitals (DC), while spinner Kuldeep Yadav will now play for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). This high-profile trade happened between the two teams. After the latest IPL 2026, Pant had left the captaincy of Lucknow after having a patchy run as a captain as well as a batter. Pant’s return to the Delhi Capitals, where he spent 9 IPL seasons Pant has once again become part of the same franchise where he spent 9 seasons of his career between 2016 and 2024. Pant has played a total of 111 matches for the Delhi Capitals so far. However, he was released following some differences with the GMR Group ahead of the 2025 mega auction. Lucknow had bought Rishabh Pant for ₹27 crore in the 2025 mega auction. This was the biggest bid in IPL history. This very amount had become the biggest hurdle in his trade, as it was not easy for any franchise to include a player with such a large fee. According to reports, Pant himself has agreed to reduce his fees to make this trade possible. He is now likely to receive around ₹15 crore, meaning he has accepted a reduction of approximately ₹12 crore. This is considered a similar step to what Ravindra Jadeja took last season when joining the Rajasthan Royals. Kuldeep Yadav parts ways with DC after 5 seasons in IPL Through this trade, Kuldeep has left the Delhi Capitals to join the Lucknow Super Giants. Kuldeep enjoyed a highly successful five-season stint with the Delhi Capitals, which has now come to an end with this trade. He had joined the Delhi franchise in 2022 and has since claimed 72 wickets in 65 matches for the team. For Kuldeep, this move will also feel somewhat like a homecoming. He has played domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh, whereas Pant has been a Delhi player. Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal tweets on Rishabh-Kuldeep trade After striking the high-profile trade in a major post-IPL 2026 shake-up, Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal thanked Kuldeep Yadav for his services. Meanwhile, the business tycoon also welcomed Rishabh Pant, hoping the wicketkeeper-batter returns to his best form on DC comeback. DC’s management might entrust Rishabh Pant as player, but not as a captain Pant’s leaving LSG was highly likely after he recently left the captaincy of Lucknow. He captained the team for two seasons. Due to poor form, Lucknow finished 10th in IPL 2026 and 7th in 2025. Under his captaincy, Lucknow could only win 10 out of 28 matches. Pant became the most expensive player in IPL with a signing amount of ₹27 crore. But the LSG captain could not justify the price tag, scoring only 312 runs in IPL 2026. Although Pant has joined Delhi, it is highly improbable that he would be inducted as captain of the team as well. Even if DC move on from Axar Patel, the leadership change will not involve the ex-LSG captain.