IPL Retention: Why are Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer facing difficulties in being retained by DC and KKR?

IPL Retention: With just seven days left for all the ten teams to announce their retention lists, suspense continues to brew regarding the IPL future of Rishabh Pant and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Even though Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal declared that Rishabh Pant would be the team's top retention, the change in operational roles have made matters complex at the Capitals. GMR Group has taken charge for the next two seasons.

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Reports have emerged that Delhi Capitals want to retain Pant but certain modalities need to be worked out with JSW and GMR splitting responsibilities for the IPL.

Some reports have also suggested that Delhi Capitals are not considering Pant as a captaincy candidate. The wicketkeeper-batter has been with the Capitals since his IPL debut in 2016, and took over the reins from Shreyas Iyer in 2021.

The developments have excited teams like Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) who are keen at signing Pant. RCB are on a lookout for a wicketkeeper-batter after the retirement of Dinesh Karthik, while PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting has a close working relationship with Pant. LSG are also likely to release KL Rahul, and Pant could be the perfect replacement.

Suspense over Shreyas Iyer's future at KKR

Not only Pant, but Shreyas Iyer's future at KKR is also in suspense. He led KKR to a title win in IPL 2024, but as per reports have emerged that Shreyas Iyer is not KKR's first retention choice. The three-time champions are keen on making Andre Russell their first retention.

Additionally, franchises are also skeptical about shelling out extra amounts as that would directly be deducted from their auction purse. For example, if KKR wishes to retain Shreyas Iyer for Rs 16 crore - Rs 2 crore more than what the second-choice retained player is supposed to get - the extra Rs 2 crore amount would also be deducted from their auction purse of Rs 120 crore.