Delhi: Speculation of a big trade deal has intensified before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027, in which talk of a possible ‘swap’ between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant and Delhi Capitals (DC) star spinner Kuldeep Yadav has come to light. However, no franchise has yet officially approved it.

Journey of Rishabh Pant and Lucknow Super Giants

Rishabh Pant was included in their team by Lucknow Super Giants for a record Rs 27 crore in the mega auction of IPL 2025. With this he became the most expensive player in the history of the league. The franchise also immediately handed over the responsibility of captaincy to him.

However, Pant’s performance was not as per expectations. In IPL 2025, he scored 269 runs, while in IPL 2026, he scored 312 runs with his bat. His contribution on both the captaincy and batting fronts could not leave the desired impact.

decision to leave captaincy

Pant had decided to step down from the captaincy after Lucknow Super Giants were out of the playoff race in IPL 2026. It was also confirmed by the franchise that the player himself requested to step aside from the responsibility of leadership, which was accepted.

Possible trade with Kuldeep Yadav

According to reports, a possible trade is being considered between Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals, in which Kuldeep Yadav can be included in the Lucknow team in exchange for Pant.

Kuldeep Yadav is currently a part of Delhi Capitals and is considered an important player of the team for his spin bowling. If this trade happens, there may be a big change in the structure of both the teams.

Discussion of change in captaincy of Delhi Capitals

There has also been talk of a possible change in the captaincy of Delhi Capitals. Reports have claimed that KL Rahul can be given the command of the team. At the same time, Akshar Patel was given the captaincy in IPL 2026, but his leadership could not give the expected results.

Awaiting official confirmation

Amidst all these reports and speculations, till now neither Lucknow Super Giants nor Delhi Capitals has made any official announcement. In such a situation, it will be interesting to see whether this possible trade turns into reality before IPL 2027 or remains just a discussion.