5 Players who can replace Shreyas Iyer as Delhi Capitals captain!

Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer has dislocated his shoulder in the 1st ODI between India and England. He was ruled out of the ODI series and was known he is set to miss a part of IPL. It was told that the Indian batsman will undergo surgery on April 8. With IPL 2021 kick starting from April 9, he might miss a good part of the marquee tournament.

ALSO READ: Delhi Capitals Squad for IPL 2021

Here are the 5 players from Delhi Capitals who can take up the captaincy responsibility in the absence of Shyreyas Iyer:

1. Rishabh Pant

The Delhi wicket keeper batsman is the current vice-captain of Delhi Capitals and is the front runner to replace Shreyas Iyer till he returns. Though reports suggested his inexperience in the captaincy department might work against his favor.

The aggressive and positive approach can be a boosting sign for him to take up the responsibility as he is in one of the best forms of his life right now. He is always on his toes behind the wicket and could get his troops on alert with his active style of wicket keeping. With Pant as Delhi Capitals captain you can expect a lot of buzz on the stump mic if you are seeking for some additional entertainment!

2. Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane is coming from a great Test stint down under and his captaincy morale is on a all time high. His IPL record though isn’t the greatest. He led led a IPL team on 25 occasions – out of which his team won 9 times and lost 16 times.

Rahane’s experience is invaluable to any team and his calmness can bring a sense of tranquility in dealing with pressure situations. This could be a major feature in his favor while picking Delhi Capitals captain as the team was known to fumble in crunch situations in the past.

3. Prithvi Shaw

He definitely is a wild card in this list but this ICC U-19 World Cup captain is known to excel with additional responsibility. He recently led the Mumbai team to Vijay Hazare Trophy victory as he recorded high scores of 227*,185* and 165 show casing his potential.

The 21 year old might be a far shot because of the relative experience in comparison to other options like Rahane, Smith, Ashwin etc. but he is one dark horse and surprise Delhi Capitals might ponder pulling out of the hat.

4. Ravichandran Ashwin

The off-spinner is one of the most valuable assets in Delhi Capitals set up and is known to possess a massive knowledge and insights about the game. His captaincy stint with Kings XI Punjab might not have been fruitful but he showed he can compete against the best. He featured in 28 matches as a captain – won 12 and lost 16.

Equipped with shrewdness and wit Ashwin is surely a candidate the franchise might ponder over while making a decision over the Iyer replacement as Delhi Capitals captain.

5. Steve Smith

Steve Smith was named the mentor of Delhi Capitals when Shreyas Iyer was fit and fine. With the sudden turn in events and with Ricky Ponting in charge of coaching duties – Steve Smith could once again be in the captaincy fold.

Smith had a disastrous last season as Rajasthan Royals captain but he led Rising Pune Supergiant to IPL finals in the past. Smith played 43 IPL matches as a captain – his team won on 25 occasions and lost 17.

With only 4 overseas spots in the playing 11 – unless the Capitals are sure about his role in the XI on a consistent basis, Captain Smith try out as Delhi Capitals captain might not be a possibility.

Honarable Mention: Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma carry massive experience behind them and can be options the franchise might put forward during their decision making.