Watch: Axar Patel reveals his first chat with Rishabh Pant after shocking return to Delhi Capitals for IPL 2027

After a disappointing stint of two years until the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Rishabh Pant is back in familiar territory after a trade between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Lucknow franchise, as the DC captain, Axar Patel, reflected on their first interaction for the shocking return. 

Pant, soon after the end of the IPL 2026, stepped down from the leadership position of the Lucknow side, who ended the campaign at the bottom of the points table with just four wins in 14 clashes at a net run rate of -0.740.

Inside Axar and Pant's candid first conversation since the trade

Axar revealed that he missed Pant’s calls due to spending time with his baby by keeping the mobile phone away from him. Later at night, he finally called back and heard the good news from Pant after the confirmation of the trade.

Watch Axar's first interaction with Pant here- 

“He was the first person to call me. These days, I spend a lot of time with my child, so I usually keep my phone aside. I missed his first call, and when he called again, I still couldn't answer. Later, after my child had fallen asleep, I called him back and asked, 'What happened? Is something urgent?” Axar said in a video of the DC side.

In the case of Rishabh Pant’s return, the wicket-keeper batter could replace Axar as the new leader of the Capitals in 2027, despite the presence of KL Rahul in the side.

See Also: Rishabh Pant to DC, Kuldeep Yadav to LSG — The 3 biggest trade deals in IPL history

“He replied, 'Bhai, it's confirmed. Main wapas aa raha hu (I'm coming back). That was our first conversation. After that, we just spoke normally. Yes, he's finally coming back.” The current DC captain was informed.

“Deep down, I always felt he would, though I never told him, 'Subah ka bhula jab shaam ko ghar aaye usey bhoola nahi kehte' (A person who returns home after straying is not considered lost). But my affection for him is such that I brought him back to Delhi.” The Indian all-rounder interacted in the same video.

Rishabh Pant for Kuldeep Yadav: What the blockbuster LSG-DC swap means for both squads in IPL 2027

Pant will return to the DC side, where he played nine seasons of the IPL from 2016 to 2024, as he had been signed by the Super Giants for a massive price of INR 27 crore in 2025. But he will go to DC for a revised fee of INR 15 crore, while Kuldeep will move to LSG for his current fee of INR 13.50 crore.

The difference between Pant’s fee and Kuldeep Yadav’s fee will leave Lucknow with an extra INR 13.50 crore in their purse, while DC will have INR 1.50 crore being deducted from their purse. Both these players had a difficult time during the IPL 2026.

See Also: Strong start, shocking exit — 3 brutal reasons Delhi Capitals crashed out of IPL 2026

Pant, who led LSG, scored 312 runs with the best score of 68* in 13 innings, scoring at a strike rate of 138.05. Kuldeep picked up ten wickets from 11 bowling innings and was expensive at an economy rate of 10.29 during IPL 2026. The veteran, who picked up 72 wickets for DC in the IPL at an economy rate of 8.24, will love the spinning conditions in Lucknow during the next IPL.  

Fans react to Pant's homecoming — Excitement, nostalgia, and a few worries flood social media

The fans reacted with both excitement and nostalgia on social media for the homecoming of Pant in IPL 2027-