Rishabh Pant broke his silence over the reports of his exit from Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. According to reports, Pant demanded a heavy retention fee, which made DC give up on him as their captain. However, Pant has refuted them. Rishabh Pant reacted to a post by an IPL broadcaster that features Sunil Gavaskar sharing his views on why Delhi Capitals did not retain their captain before the IPL 2025 mega auction. There might have been a difference of opinion between Delhi Capitals and Pant over the retention fee, suggested Gavaskar in the video. He even hinted that the team would try to buy Pant back during the mega auction, scheduled for November 24 and 25. Gavaskar had told Star Sports: "What I feel is Delhi Capitals would want Rishabh Pant back in their squad. Sometimes, when a player has to be retained, there are talks between the franchise and players over the fees, as expected. As some of the players who have been retained by their franchises, they have gone for more than what the No. 1 retention fee deduction would be. So clearly, I think there may be some disagreement there. But, my feeling is Delhi would want Rishabh Pant back." Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Pant clarified that money was not the reason for his exit from DC. He hinted at unresolved issues with the franchise's management that led to his name being left out of their retention list. My retention wasn’t about the money for sure that I can say 🤍 — Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) November 19, 2024 Also Read | Watch: CSK Spends Big on T Natarajan in ‘Mock’ IPL Auction Players Retained by Delhi Capitals Ahead of IPL 2025 Mega Auction Delhi Capitals have retained four players ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. They have retained all-rounder Axar Patel for INR 16.50 crore. Apart from Axar, they have retained two more capped player and they are Kuldeep Yadav and Tristan Stubbs. Kuldeep has been retained for INR 13.25 crore whereas Stubbs has been give INR 10 crore for the upcoming season of IPL. The Delhi based franchise has also retained an uncapped Indian who actually did well for them in the previous season. They retained Abhishek Porel for INR 4 crore. The franchise will enter the IPL 2025 Mega Auction with the purse of INR 76.25 crore.