Rishabh Pant News / Did Delhi's head coach lie about Pant? The team owner said this

Rishabh Pant News: For IPL 2025, Delhi Capitals has made a big change and appointed Hemang Badani as their new head coach. He has replaced Ricky Ponting, who was associated with the team for a long time. However, after Badani became the coach, a new debate has erupted between the team and former captain Rishabh Pant.

Hemang Badani's claim and controversy

In a recent interview, Hemang Badani accused Rishabh Pant and said that the Delhi franchise wanted to retain him, but Pant himself decided to go to the mega auction. Badani said that Pant was overconfident about his market value and that was the reason he left the team.

However, this claim came into controversy when Delhi Capitals owner Parth Jindal gave a completely different opinion on Pant's decision.

Parth Jindal's side

Parth Jindal, in an interview to ESPNcricinfo after the auction, said that not retaining Pant was not a money-related decision. He said that Delhi and Pant could not agree on the "strategy of operation". Jindal said, "Money was never a problem for neither Rishabh nor us. We wanted to retain him at all costs, but due to differences in ideologies it was not possible."

Jindal's statement is completely opposite to Hemang Badani's claim. This raises the question as to who of the two is closer to the truth.

Rishabh Pant's bid in the auction and the story of becoming the most expensive player

There was fierce competition for Rishabh Pant in the IPL 2025 mega auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Lucknow Supergiants placed an initial bid of 20.25 crores for Pant. Delhi Capitals tried to bring him back using the Right to Match (RTM) card, but when Lucknow took the bid to 27 crores, Delhi had to back out due to their limited purse.

Even Jindal said that the team was willing to go up to 22-23 crores, but Lucknow exceeded their limit. Pant thus became the most expensive player in IPL history.

Why the different opinions of the coach and the owner?

The contrasting statements of Hemang Badani and Parth Jindal indicate that there may be some lack of communication within the team. It is also possible that Badani made such a statement to put pressure on Rishabh Pant or to save the team's image.

Expectations of Rishabh Pant and Delhi fans

Delhi Capitals fans are now waiting to see how the team will perform with new strategies. Also, the truth of this controversy surrounding Pant may become more clear with time.

This start of IPL 2025 could pose a challenge not only for the new coach but also for the strategic synergy within the franchise.