In what was a surprising deal, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) let go Rishabh Pant, their biggest star player. After two seasons of poor returns, Pant has moved back to where he started. The Delhi Capitals (DC) have gleefully accepted the trade, with Pant now joining back DC. However, LSG are happy as well, with them getting Kuldeep Yadav, India’s premier spinner across all formats.
One could say that DC have done LSG a favour. Kuldeep, who will join LSG for INR 13.50 crore, will instantly solve their spin problems. As a matter of fact, he has been earmarked for excellence by his new teammate Avesh Khan. The Indian pacer, who eyes an international comeback of his own, feels that Kuldeep is a marvellous addition to Lucknow, where he will have more freedom.
Kuldeep Yadav to star for LSG?
While speaking to PTI, Avesh stressed an important factor. He addressed that Kuldeep will be able to bowl with more freedom when playing his home matches at the Ekana Stadium in the IPL. With the stadium offering slightly bigger boundary dimensions, and spinner will feel comfortable. Kuldeep, meanwhile, is one of the faces of India’s spin bowling arsenal, having represented the country since nine years now.
“It is one of the biggest IPL grounds in terms of dimensions. That will be a big boost for him because when you are a spinner or even a fast bowler and you know you are bowling on a large ground, you can bowl with more freedom. Kuldeep Yadav will be a very good addition for us for next year’s IPL,” Avesh said.
Since his move to Delhi Capitals in 2022, Kuldeep has been playing his home games at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, a ground that is considered haven for batters. It offers one of the smallest boundary dimensions. Yet, Kuldeep was the main guy for DC. If we leave aside his returns in IPL 2026, Kuldeep was the first name on the team sheet. For DC, he took 73 wickets at a frugal economy of 8.25. If we look at his numbers at Ekana Stadium, they aren’t bad either, with the local lad taking six wickets across four outings at a superb bowling average and economy of 19.83 and 7.44, respectively.
Avesh wishes well to Pant
Meanwhile, Avesh Khan also talked about Pant’s departure. On the backdrop of the Madhya Pradesh T20 league, Avesh spoke about Pant’s time at LSG, and wished him good luck for the future. Avesh and Pant go hand-in-hand, as the two were together at DC, and at LSG too. However, Pant’s stay at Lucknow didn’t work out at all. Despite being the costliest player (INR 27 crore) in history, he failed to inspire the group.
At IPL 2026, Pant captained LSG and made 312 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 138.05, with 68* as his top score. Despite that, LSG finished last with only 4 wins from 14 matches. Two days before the IPL 2026 final, he informed LSG he was stepping down as captain.
“Our team couldn’t do very well during those two years, but his contribution was immense. As a player and as a captain, he always kept the team together, guided the players and shared his inputs. So I wish him good luck,” Avesh said.
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