Rishabh Pant’s Rs 27-cr LSG stint nears end, DC reunion likely at huge pay cut: Report

The trading floor has opened early ahead of the 2027 Indian Premier League season, with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC) in advanced talks over a blockbuster swap involving two of Indian cricket’s most prominent names. Both franchises are reportedly finalising terms before submitting the deal for BCCI approval — a step that has not yet happened, meaning the trade is not yet final.

At the center of the move is Rishabh Pant, who became the most expensive player in IPL history when LSG signed him for ₹27 crore at the 2025 mega auction. After two difficult seasons in Lucknow — including stepping down as captain just before the 2026 final, with LSG finishing bottom of the table — Pant is now set to return to Delhi at a reduced fee. Moving the other way is Kuldeep Yadav, who would join the franchise representing his home state of Uttar Pradesh.

Not Yet a Done Deal

This is not yet confirmed. Both franchises are still completing internal formalities, and the trade requires BCCI ratification before it becomes official. The financial terms below reflect the figures currently being reported, not a finalised contract.

The Financial Audit: Purse Mechanics, Not Just a Pay Cut

The framing of this deal as a simple “pay cut” undersells what’s actually happening to each franchise’s auction purse. Because the two players’ fees don’t match, the trade carries a net financial transfer between the franchises themselves, not just a discount for Pant.

• Rishabh Pant (LSG to DC): Fee likely revised from ₹27.00 crore to ₹15.00 crore.
• Kuldeep Yadav (DC to LSG): Moves at his existing fee of ₹13.25 crore.
• Purse impact for LSG: Gains roughly ₹13.75 crore in purse space — Pant’s outgoing ₹27 crore fee minus Kuldeep’s incoming ₹13.25 crore fee.
• Purse impact for DC: Loses roughly ₹1.25 crore from its purse to accommodate Pant’s revised ₹15 crore fee.

In other words, LSG is the bigger financial beneficiary of this trade in pure purse terms — not DC, as a “steal” framing might suggest. DC gets its talisman back, but at a net cost to its own purse, not a saving.

Pant would become the second high-profile player this trade cycle to accept a reduced fee as part of a swap, after all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s move from Chennai Super Kings to Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026, where his fee was cut from ₹18 crore to ₹14 crore as part of the trade that brought Sanju Samson to CSK.

The Stats Engine: Head-to-Head Franchise Footprints

1. Rishabh Pant: The Prodigal Son Returns

Pant’s two seasons in Lucknow fell well short of his record price tag, with both his batting numbers and captaincy record sliding from his Delhi peak.

2. Kuldeep Yadav: The Rehabilitation Project

Kuldeep was a key part of Delhi’s bowling attack for years, but a sharp dip in 2026 — partly a season where he spent long stretches out of India’s title-winning T20 World Cup XI — has prompted the move to a fresh setup in Lucknow.

What is Kuldeep-Pant trade all about? 

If ratified, this trade reshapes both franchises’ 2027 plans. For Delhi Capitals — now under JSW’s Parth Jindal-led ownership group for the next two years — bringing Pant back restores a familiar face to the dressing room, even if it comes at a small net cost to the purse rather than a saving. 

For Lucknow Super Giants, moving on from a captaincy arrangement that didn’t work gives them a meaningful purse boost to rebuild around, plus a frontline wrist-spinner suited to home conditions at Ekana.

Whether this becomes IPL 2027’s defining storyline depends on what’s still outstanding: BCCI sign-off. Until that comes through, this remains the most advanced — but not yet completed — trade of the window.