With 371 runs in 10 innings thus far, Rishabh Pant is not only leading the Delhi Capitals with the bat but also playing a pretty good role as their captain.
After his team struggled to finish at the bottom of the standings for the first few games, the wicket-keeper batsman has made a statement about his own role as vice-captain. For the record, Rishabh Pant was picked to start as India’s wicketkeeper first choice before the competition.
There has been a lot of conjecture about the deputy to captain Rohit Sharma in the setup since May 1, 2024, when squads are required to reveal their preliminary drafts for the T20 World Cup, which will take place in June.
Nevertheless, Hardik’s qualities cannot be overlooked, as the all-round player has proven valuable in a number of high-profile games at pivotal moments in prestigious competitions. But his lacklustre performances with the ball in the current IPL season, along with some dubious choices and criticism from the public that isn’t explicitly directed at him, have left open the question of whether he should be given the enormous responsibility of leading the star-studded Indian lineup as vice captain.
In addition to the standard top and middle order of Rohit, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Pant, Hardik, and Jadeja, it is expected that one or both of Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh, as well as Sanju Samson or KL Rahul, will be included.
While Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah are the three surefire pacers to be picked in the 15-man team, Sandeep Sharma’s return this IPL with his accurate death-bowling and deft medium-pace strokes has increased his chances of getting selected significantly.
With Kuldeep Yadav being considered the top of the spin-bowling pack, Axar Patel may surpass Ravi Bishnoi as India’s second-choice bowler based on the way things have turned out thus far. The IPL’s all-time top wicket-taker appears to be in bad shape, and there’s a good chance he won’t make it.