Major news regarding IPL side Delhi Capitals’ (DC) skipper and Indian’s star wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant has just broken out, with the star reported to leave the side ahead of the 18th IPL edition in 2025 by Dainik Jaagran.
Pant is DC’s most capped player and also their leading top-scorer, but the franchise has been reported to be unhappy with his leadership qualities and are in two minds about retaining the player ahead of the Mega Auction.
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Pant is reported to join the IPL giants and five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the start of IPL 2025.
However, DC’s director and former Indian skipper, Sourav Ganguly is in favour of retaining Pant and letting him captain the side in the upcoming IPL edition.
| Matches | Runs | Average | SR | 50s | 100s | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111 | 3284 | 35.31 | 148.93 | 18 | 1 | 128* |
Rishabh Pant set to join CSK
Although mere speculations for now, if Pant does decide to join CSK, it would make the headlines as he would make a formidable addition to an already star-studded CSK line-up, but even more importantly is signing might also hint at the legendary MS Dhoni’s retirement from cricket considering Pant’s wicket-keeper position.
Pant is game-changer in every sense of the word and has the ability to shift the momentum quickly in his team’s favour with his explosive style of play.
Ant made an extraordinary comeback after his unfortunate accident back in December 2022, and managed to impress in the IPL, earning himself a place in the Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup.
Pant went on to feature in all of India’s eight matches in the tournament, playing at the no. 3 position as the Men in Blue went on to lift the title in Barbados by defeating South Africa in the Final and staying undefeated the entire tournament.
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Will MS Dhoni play in IPL 2025?
The greatest skipper in CSK and Indian history, MS Dhoni is on the verge of taking a step back from playing cricket soon. Dhoni recently turned 43, and with age catching up with the legendary figure, it would be sooner rather than later that he finally decides to hang his boots.
Dhoni had relieved himself from captaincy duties ahead of the 2024 IPL season, shifting the responsibility on the shoulders of the 26-year-old, Ruturaj Gaikwad. The decision served as the passing of the torch, making his plan even more clearer.
However, Dhoni is yet to make a final decision regarding his retirement plans, and the fans are still hopeful that he will play for another season.
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After CSK crashed out of the tournament by losing out to the Royal Challengers’ Bengaluru (RCB), CSK CEO Kasi Vishwanathan was asked about Dhoni’s possible retirement, to which Vishwanathan replied by saying that he simply didn’t know. He said that Dhoni knows the appropriate time to make such announcements and they would respect whatever decision he took.
As all of you know, he has always taken his decisions and announced them at the appropriate time. We do expect that we will get a decision as and when he decides. But we are very, very hopeful that he will be available for CSK next year. That is the view and expectations of the fans and mine.
Things still aren’t very clear with the possibility of anything happening, but in the event wherein CSK do decide to sign Pant in for the upcoming IPL edition, it would be a very cryptic sign towards Dhoni’s retirement from the game.
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