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Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium: Amid the festive Diwali celebrations across India, speculation was rife about Rishabh Pant’s potential move to the IPL 2025 mega auction after moving on from the Delhi Capitals, his team since 2016.

Delhi Capitals confirmed the speculations in cricketing circles at 5:30 pm on Thurday by announcing their retained players - Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abishek Porel, without including Pant. This was a turn of events that took even the most loyal fans of DC and Pant by surprise.

The social media platforms and comments section of the franchise’s posts buzzed with the primary question from the retention deadline day: the reason behind Pant entering the mega auction and the conclusion of his nine-year tenure with Delhi Capitals.