Who took the biggest pay cut in IPL history as Rishabh Pant joined DC for Rs 15cr? | Cricket news

Cricketer Rishabh Pant (PTI photo)

The IPL there’s never been a shortage of blockbuster deals, but history shows that even the biggest stars aren’t immune to dramatic pay cuts. The latest example is Rishabh Pant, whose return to Delhi Capitals came with a huge pay cut after a disappointing two years with Lucknow Super Giants.Panta was bought by LSG for a record Rs 27 crore ahead of IPL 2025, making him the most expensive player in IPL history at that time. However, after two poor seasons as captain and batsman, the franchise decided to part ways with him. In a high-profile trade completed ahead of the 2027 IPL, Pant returned to Delhi Capitals for Rs 15 crore, resulting in a huge salary cut of Rs 12 crore.The move underscores a recurring trend in the IPL, where a player’s valuation can fluctuate sharply based on performance, team strategy and auction dynamics. Pant’s numbers with LSG never lived up to expectations. He scored 269 runs in IPL 2025 and followed it up with 312 runs in 2026 as the franchise slipped from seventh to the bottom of the table under his leadership.While Pant’s pay cut is one of the biggest in IPL history, he is not the only one. Venkatesh Iyer saw his salary drop from Rs 23.75 crore with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2025 to Rs 7 crore with Royal Challengers Bengaluru a year later. Sam Curran suffered an even steeper percentage drop, falling from Rs 18.5 crore at Punjab Kings to Rs 2.4 crore after returning to Chennai Super Kings.Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Kyle Jamieson and Jhye Richardson have also seen sharp value corrections despite entering the auctions with high profile. Pant’s return to Delhi may offer a fresh start, but his move also serves as a reminder that in the IPL, reputation alone rarely guarantees long-term financial security.

Biggest cut in players’ wages in IPL history