“Yes, maybe they have missed out” - AB de Villiers on the player Delhi Capitals might regret releasing

Former South African AB de Villiers reckons that Delhi Capitals (DC) might have missed out on a potential match-winner by releasing Phil Salt and then not purchasing him at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction.

Salt, a destructive 27-year-old keeper-batter from England, played nine matches for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023 season, scoring 218 runs at a strike rate of 163.91 with two half-centuries. Surprisingly, he went unsold at the IPL 2024 auction. Incidentally, the aggressive batter has struck hundreds in his last two T20I knocks.

In a recent Q & A session on his YouTube channel, De Villiers was asked whether the Delhi Capitals got it wrong by letting Salt go. He partially agreed with the observation, replying:

“The planning for the IPL auction has been done months in advance. I do agree in a way. Phil Salt, I absolutely love watching him play. He is one of hot favorites in the SA20 tournament. I saw Salt score a lot of runs for the Pretoria Capitals.

"Yes, maybe they have missed out by not buying him or failing to retain him for the Delhi Capitals. He didn’t play much last year and maybe he disappointed some of the management. But, he’s a fantastic player and it’s a shame not to see him there,” the 39-year-old added.

Salt has featured in 20 T20Is for England, scoring 601 runs at a strike rate of 165.56 with two hundreds and two fifties.

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“Let’s hope he does recover” - De Villiers hoping to see Pant in IPL 2024

While Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant attended the auction in Dubai, there is still some uncertainty over whether he will feature in IPL 2024. Asked who can replace Pant if he is unfit, De Villiers said:

“Let’s hope he does recover. It will be nice to see him run out in the Delhi Capitals colors again and to hit some cricket balls like only he can. I am not sure who the replacement can be. Kumar Kushagra will be the wicketkeeper I think then.

"I can’t wait to watch him play. Going for that amount of money, there must be potential there. Let’s hope Mr. Rishabh Pant plays again. He’s one of my favorite players.”

DC purchased young keeper-batter Kushagra for a whopping ₹7.2 crore at the IPL 2024 auction. Harry Brook (₹4 crore), Jhye Richardson (₹5 crore), Shai Hope (₹75 lakh), and Tristan Stubbs (₹50 lakh) were some of their other prominent buys at the IPL 2024 auction.