Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants have formally completed one of the biggest player trades in IPL history, with Rishabh Pant returning to DC and Kuldeep Yadav heading to LSG ahead of the 2027 season. The BCCI ratified the deal on Tuesday, confirming it as the first major trade of the IPL 2027 cycle.
Pant, who was bought by LSG for a record-breaking ₹27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, will rejoin Delhi at a revised fee of ₹15 crore, a pay cut of ₹12 crore. He becomes the second high-profile Indian player after Ravindra Jadeja to accept a reduced fee in a trade. Kuldeep, meanwhile, moves to LSG at his existing fee of ₹13.5 crore.
The trade has financial implications for both sides. LSG will have ₹13.75 crore added to their auction purse, while DC will see ₹1.25 crore deducted from theirs.
Pant’s two seasons at LSG were underwhelming. As captain, he won 10 and lost 18, with LSG finishing seventh in 2025 and last in 2026. He stepped down as captain two days before the IPL 2026 final. Kuldeep, despite a difficult 2026 campaign, 10 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 10.29, had a strong overall DC record of 72 wickets in 65 games at 8.24.
For Pant, it is a homecoming. He made 111 appearances for DC across nine seasons between 2016 and 2024, more than any other player in the franchise’s history.
