Rishabh Pant will return to Delhi Capitals after two seasons with Lucknow Super Giants, while Kuldeep Yadav will move in the opposite direction as part of a high-profile IPL trade completed ahead of the 2027 season.
Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav involved in IPL swap deal between LSG and DC
Pant's return marks a homecoming to the franchise where he spent the first eight years of his IPL career. The wicketkeeper-batter had left Delhi ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, where Lucknow Super Giants secured his services for a record INR 27 crore, the highest winning bid in the history of the tournament.
As part of the trade, Pant will take a pay cut, with his contract value reducing to INR 15 crore. During his previous stint with Delhi Capitals, Pant played 111 matches and scored 3,284 runs, making him the franchise's leading run-scorer.
Pant's two seasons with Lucknow coincided with a period in which the franchise failed to qualify for the playoffs. LSG finished outside the top four in both the 2025 and 2026 editions of the tournament. Pant also recorded modest returns with the bat during his time at the franchise.
Also Read: Why Rishabh Pant's IPL returns don't match his Test greatness
In IPL 2025, he scored 269 runs in 13 innings at an average of 24.45 and a strike rate of 133.16, his lowest aggregate in a season since making his IPL debut in 2016. He followed that with 312 runs in IPL 2026 at an average of 28.36. Shortly after Lucknow's elimination from the tournament this year, the franchise announced that Pant had requested to step down as captain, with the decision taking effect immediately.
Kuldeep Yadav, meanwhile, will join Lucknow Super Giants on the same INR 13.5 crore contract under which Delhi Capitals retained him before the current auction cycle. The left-arm wrist-spinner represented Delhi for five seasons after joining the franchise in 2022.
Kuldeep picked up 10 wickets in 12 matches during the 2026 season. The move to Lucknow will make LSG the third franchise of his IPL career, following previous spells with Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
