The IPL governing council confirmed on June 23 that Pant will rejoin Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2027, just two seasons after leaving the franchise that made him a star. In return, spinner Kuldeep Yadav heads to Lucknow Super Giants in what is easily the most talked-about player swap of this trade window.
From Rs 27 Crore to Rs 15 Crore — The Pay Cut That Says It All
Pant holds the record for the most expensive buy in IPL history — LSG shelled out Rs 27 crore at the 2025 mega auction to land him. Fast forward two years, and that same player is now heading back to DC for Rs 15 crore. That’s a Rs 12 crore haircut, and honestly, the numbers make it hard to argue against.
As LSG captain, Pant managed just 10 wins from 28 matches. With the bat, he scored 581 runs across two seasons at an average of 26.4 and a strike rate of 135.74 — both figures sitting below his own career T20 benchmarks. LSG finished dead last in IPL 2026, winning only four games from 14. Two days before the IPL 2026 final, Pant quietly walked into the LSG dressing room and told the team he was stepping down as captain.
Why DC Took Him Back
The move actually makes a lot of sense for Delhi. At DC, Pant was a different beast altogether — 1,205 runs as captain, averaging 35.44 at a strike rate of 143.96, leading the side in 44 matches with 24 wins. He was also one of the youngest captains in IPL history when he first took the armband in 2021.
Think of it like Hardik Pandya returning to Mumbai Indians — a player going back to the franchise where they found their game. Pant originally joined DC back in 2016 when the franchise was still called Delhi Daredevils. This is genuinely a homecoming.
Kuldeep Yadav Heads to His Home State Team
For Kuldeep, this move has a personal storyline too. He plays domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh, so joining Lucknow Super Giants means he’s now representing his home state in the IPL. The left-arm wrist spinner had a tough 2026 season with DC — just 10 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 10.29. DC skipper Axar Patel had openly admitted he missed Kuldeep as a bowling partner last season.
Over his full run with DC from 2022 onwards though, Kuldeep picked up 72 wickets in 65 games at an economy of 8.24. LSG will hope a change of scenery — and a familiar home crowd — brings out that version of him.
What the Numbers Look Like for Each Franchise
Purse-wise, LSG come out ahead in this deal. With Pant’s Rs 27 crore salary off their books and Kuldeep’s Rs 13.25 crore coming in, LSG get Rs 13.75 crore added back to their auction purse for IPL 2027. DC, on the other hand, see a Rs 1.25 crore deduction — since Pant at Rs 15 crore costs them more than the Rs 13.25 crore they were paying Kuldeep. Small price for landing a player of Pant’s caliber at a fraction of his original cost.
This trade signals something broader happening in the IPL ecosystem — big names are no longer untouchable when the numbers don’t add up. Ravindra Jadeja took a pay cut heading into IPL 2026 as part of a CSK-RR trade, and now Pant follows the same path. The league is maturing, and franchises are making smarter calls.
For Pant, IPL 2027 is a proper redemption arc. He has something to prove, a franchise that believes in him, and a price tag that actually matches where he needs to perform. Watch this space.