Rishabh Pant will lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021

Rishabh Pant will lead Delhi Capitals in the absence of Shreyas Iyer in the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League. Pant has led his state team Delhi in the past.

The regular captain Shreyas Iyer dislocated his shoulder in the first ODI against England in the recently concluded ODI series. Questions on his availability looms as the franchise met for an emergency meeting to make the decision over the new captain for IPL 2021.

“Delhi is where I grew up, and where my IPL journey began six years ago. To lead this team one day is a dream I’ve always harboured and today, as that dream comes true, I feel humbled. I am truly grateful, especially to our team owners, who considered me capable enough for this role. With an amazing coaching staff, and a plethora of accomplished seniors around me, I can’t wait to give my absolute best for Delhi Capitals.” Pant said on his appointment.

Pant also has the backing of coach Ponting who felt he is a leadership materials and could be next in line for the Indian captaincy.

Delhi Capitals made it to the play offs in the last 2 IPL seasons under Shreyas Iyer with the team making it to the finals in IPL 2020 at UAE.

Rishabh Pant owns a prolific IPL record. He scored 2079 runs in 68 matches at an average of 35.23 and a strike rate of 151.97. He hit 1 century and 12 half centuries with a highest score of 128* v Sunrisers Hyderabad. He hit 103 sixes in IPL history so far!

As per reports Iyer called Pant the “best man for the job”. He wished Pant good and said he would miss the team a lot this season.

“When I sustained the shoulder injury, and Delhi Capitals needed a leader for this edition of the IPL, I had no doubt that Rishabh would be the best man for the job,” Iyer said. “He has all my good wishes to make amazing things happen with our absolutely incredible team. I’m going to miss the team tremendously, and will be cheering for them throughout.” Iyer said.

Delhi Capitals play their first match against Chennai Super Kings on April 10, at Wankhede Stadium starting from 7:30pm IST.

Delhi Capitals Squad

Squad Size: 25

Batsmen
Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Steve Smith, Ripal Patel

Wicket Keepers
Rishabh Pant (captain), Vishnu Vinod, Sam Billings

All Rounders
Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes

Bowlers
Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Ravichandran Ashwin, Anrich Nortje, Pravin Dubey, Umesh Yadav, Lukman Meriwala, Manimaran Siddharth, Tom Curran