Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have officially completed one of the most talked-about player trades in IPL history, with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant heading back to his former franchise and spinner Kuldeep Yadav moving to Lucknow.

Rishabh Pant will make a return into the setup of head coach and mentor Rahul Dravid at Delhi Capitals once again after being with the franchise from 2016 till 2024. He joined LSG for an IPL 2025 price of INR 27 crore, the most costly in history to that point, only a year prior. Pant will be DC has now been retained for a compensation of INR 15 crore as part of the trade agreement.

As in this swap Kuldeep Yadav has moved to Lucknow Super Giants and his current salary of INR 13.50 crore remains unchanged. The trade has a big financial upside for LSG as it will give them another INR 13.50 crore in auction purse space. At the same time, Delhi Capitals will be penalised with a cap of INR 1.50 crore from its auction purse of INR 42 crore.

Entering IPL 2026, Pant has been recovering from a tough season with LSG. His runs came off 13 innings at a strike rate of 138.05, with a highest score of 68 not out while leading the side as captain for which he scored 312 runs. Lucknow, on the other hand, had a dismal season and their four wins in 14 outings were not enough to save the team from finishing bottom of the points table.

Reports suggested Pant told the franchise that he has decided to resign as captain over a month prior to the IPL 2026 final. The decision was made during conversations internally about a potential overhaul at the top of the leadership as they begin preparing for their fourth disappointing season in a row.

Kuldeep had a similar IPL 2026 saga at Delhi Capitals too. The left-arm wrist-spinner claimed only 10 wickets in 11 innings at an economy of 10.29. While the returns this season are mild, he is still one of DC’s most accomplished bowlers in recent years, taking 72 wickets at an average of just over 6.20 since arriving at the franchise last year with 65 matches played for a measly economy rate of 8.24.

This blockbuster swap is expected to transform both squads ahead of the next IPL season.