3 reasons why Rishabh Pant's return to Delhi Capitals would be right move

Rishabh Pant is expected to part ways with LSG and join Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2027.

Rishabh Pant made his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the 2016 edition for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). After an average show in the first two seasons, he grabbed the limelight in the 2018 edition with his batting heroics.

With 684 runs in 14 games comprising five fifties and a century, Pant finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the IPL 2018. With his stellar show, he emerged as a promising wicket-keeper batter in the IPL as well as for the Indian Team. Later, he became the captain of DC.

After IPL 2024, Rishabh parted ways with DC, and Lucknow Super Giants acquired him in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He became the most expensive player in the league’s history, fetching ₹27 crore. LSG also appointed him as the new captain after ending their association with former skipper KL Rahul.

However, Rishabh Pant could not deliver an impressive performance for LSG as a leader and a batter. The franchise failed to book a berth in the playoffs in IPL 2025 and were the worst performer in IPL 2026.

Moreover, the LSG captain also struggled with his own performances during the last two seasons despite switching his batting order on a few occasions. Following a flop show in IPL 2026, Pant stepped down as LSG captain.

Now, according to reports, he is expected to part ways with the franchise ahead of IPL 2027 and join his former team, Delhi Capitals, through a trade deal. On that note, below are the three reasons why Rishabh Pant’s transfer to DC ahead of next season would be the right decision.

Why Rishabh Pant should join Delhi Capitals in IPL 2027?

3. Rishabh Pant’s fabulous record for Delhi Capitals

After joining DC in IPL 2016, Pant made a mark with his performance in every season. Batting in the middle-order, he accumulated crucial runs in the middle overs and rocked the field with his blistering batting style.

From 2016 to 2024, Pant represented Delhi in 8 seasons, and except for his debut season, he hammered 300+ runs in each year. In 111 games for DC, the star wicket-keeper piled up 3,284 runs at an average of 35.31 and a spectacular strike rate of 149.

He also slammed one century and 18 fifties. Unlike LSG, Pant has done a fabulous job for Delhi over the years with his batting. Even in Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, Pant was a key batsman for the side.

2. Pant’s familiarity with Delhi Capitals’ setup

Pant has spent eight years with Delhi Capitals in IPL, and he is well aware of the team culture. Moreover, he has captained this franchise before and is well-versed with their mindset, team strategy, existing players, management, and owners.

Moreover, Rishabh has considerable experience at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Even in his early years in domestic cricket, this stadium was his home ground, and he can easily dominate here with the bat.

Therefore, Pant is well-versed with Delhi’s team culture, and if he returns to the franchise next season, he could work wonders once again.

1. Immense pressure and a poor team atmosphere at LSG

Arguably, LSG have been known for their pressure and poor team environment due to management interference in the team’s operations and players’ strategies.

For instance, mentor Zaheer Khan parted ways with LSG after IPL 2025 due to the team’s poor show without even completing his two-year term.

Also, KL Rahul had a fallout with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka after the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2024. Rahul eventually left the franchise after the season and joined Delhi Capitals.

Similarly, Pant had to play under pressure amid the poor team environment in the LSG dressing room. This can be termed as one of the factors behind his struggles with captaincy and batting.

Also, Pant has been a lower middle-order batter since the start of his career. However, LSG had many options in the middle and even a good wicket-keeper batter like Nicholas Pooran.

This forced Pant to change his batting position as per the team’s requirements, which eventually led to his batting woes. Since the Capitals need an experienced middle-order batsman and the team atmosphere is positive, Pant could perform exceptionally well if he joins them before IPL 2027.

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