Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel gave a heartwarming and humorous welcome to Rishabh Pant after the star wicketkeeper-batter completed a sensational return to the franchise in a blockbuster IPL trade deal.
The deal saw Rishabh Pant leave Lucknow Super Giants and rejoin his original IPL home, Delhi Capitals, for Rs 15 crore, while India spinner Kuldeep Yadav moved in the opposite direction to LSG for Rs 13.5 crore.
Following the high-profile trade, Delhi Capitals shared a video on social media in which Axar Patel revealed his first conversation with Pant after the deal was finalized. According to Axar, Pant repeatedly tried calling him to break the news, but the DC skipper initially missed the calls as he was spending time with his child.
When Axar eventually called back, an excited Pant immediately confirmed the move, saying, “Confirm ho gaya bhai, main wapas aa raha hoon” (It’s confirmed, brother, I’m coming back). Axar then revealed that there was one thought he wanted to share with Pant but couldn’t say during the phone call. In the video, he jokingly welcomed Pant back with a famous Hindi proverb:
“Subah ka bhula agar shaam ko ghar wapas aa jaye toh use bhula nahi kehte.”
(If someone who loses his way in the morning returns home by evening, he is not considered lost.)
Pant was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for a record-breaking Rs 27 crore at the previous mega auction. However, after a mixed campaign and changing team strategies, both franchises agreed to a direct player swap ahead of the IPL 2027 season. During his first stint with Delhi Capitals from 2016 to 2024, Pant amassed 3,284 runs across nine seasons, making him the franchise’s all-time leading run-scorer and one of its most beloved players. While in two years with Lucknow Super Giants, Pant scored scored 581 runs across his two-season stint (2025–2026). Rishabh Pant led the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to 10 wins and 18 losses in 28 matches as captain, finishing with a 35.71% win percentage.
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