The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is a highly anticipated event in the cricket calendar, and every time a mega-sale takes place, the buzz around it gets louder. This year, such will be the case, which implies that there will be some significant changes among the 10 teams. It also implies that there is a great deal of conjecture about the possibility of some of the big names—Rishabh Pant being one of them—leaving the brand for which they have served as spokespersons.
According to reports, the Delhi Capitals are not too pleased with Pant’s leadership, and this is concomitant with the question of whether MS Dhoni has one more season left in him. The illustrious former captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) turned 43 this year. He has struggled with serious knee issues all season, frequently coming to bat in the bottom order and seldom facing more than an over in a match. But his standards of wicketkeeping never seemed to have slipped.
In the middle of these rumors, Pant shared a picture of himself on Instagram on Tuesday, mimicking a famous Rajinikanth stance. “Thalaiva,” was the caption that the 26-year-old wrote on the picture. Some commenters questioned if Pant was using this to inform his followers that the relocation was, in fact, happening. According to one response, “CSK pant is confirmed (sic).”
Interestingly, Dhoni had previously shared a picture of himself striking the identical posture during the August 2016 release of the film Kabali.
Our reports that although Sourav Ganguly, the franchise’s director of cricket, is in favor of retaining Pant as captain, there have been talks of trading Pant.
Chennai may think about recruiting the India star to replace Dhoni if Delhi decides to release Pant prior to the 2025 IPL season auctions. In response to a query on Pant’s potential transfer from Delhi to Chennai, a CSK insider informed the national daily that the team would want to acquire the nation’s next best wicketkeeper should Dhoni decide to retire.
The news was released the same week that Ricky Ponting announced his resignation as head coach of DC. DC allegedly denied that they would extend such an opportunity to the former India captain, despite reports that Ganguly indicated a wish to succeed the legendary Australian batsman.
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