As flamboyant wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant’s nine-year association with the Delhi Capitals officially ended on Thursday, a report has revealed some revealing reasons behind his decision to leave the franchise.

According to a PTI report, Pant, more than money, was not happy that his powers were being restricted by GMR, the co-owners of Delhi Capitals, who will run the show for the next two years.

He was also unhappy with Hemang Badani as head coach and Y Venugopal Rao as team manager, according to the report.

Delhi Capitals’ ownership structure is complicated, with co-owners GMR and JSW gaining the power to control management for two years at a time. Therefore, Pant, who is a JSW recruit, was not the first choice for the leadership of GMR.

A report also said that when GMR took charge, they removed previous coaching executives, including former Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly, and brought in Venugopal Rao.

Discussions last month yielded no results and Pant did not want to work with an unfamiliar coaching staff imposed on him by the new management, the report added.

Meanwhile, Pant could well become the highest-paid player in the Indian Premier League if the Punjab Kings, known for going broke every two years while looking for a new captain and ‘X-factor’, decide to go for him.

“The real Rishabh auction will start from Rs 20 crore. There will be three teams that can afford to bet big on him. One is Punjab Kings with Rs 110.5 crore in their kitty. They need a new captain and a brand. RCB have Rs 83 crore and LSG have Rs 69 crore and they also need a new captain,” a senior franchise official told PTI.

Industry insiders expect Pant to get something between Rs 25 crore and Rs 30 crore. – with PTI