IPL 2021: Rishabh Pant named Delhi Capitals captain in place of Shreyas Iyer

Star India batsman Rishabh Pant was on Tuesday named captain of Delhi Capitals in place of an injured Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming Indian Premier League season beginning on April 9 Iyer has been ruled out of the IPL after injuring his left shoulder during the recentlyconcluded IndiaEngland ODI seriesUnder Shreyas captaincy our team reached newer heights and he is going to be missed immensely In his absence the franchise has collectively picked Rishabh to lead the team this year DC Chairman and coowner Kiran Kumar Gandhi said in a release While it has come under unfortunate circumstances it is a tremendous opportunity for him to grow further I wish him all the best in his new roleThis will be 23yearold Pants debut as IPL captain The wicketkeeperbatsman has captained Delhis state team in the past Delhi is where I grew up and where my IPL journey began six years ago To lead this team one day is a dream Ive always harboured And today as that dream comes true I feel humbled Pant said 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 cant wait to give my absolute best for Delhi CapitalsPant was one of the architects of Indias historic 21 Test series win in Australia in January He then played a big role in Indias 31 Test series win against England scoring 270 runs from six innings with the help of a century Pant also returned to Indias whiteball team against England After a decent outing in the T20 Internationals he was in cracking form in the ODI series hitting 77 and 78 in the two matches he played Iyer described Pant as the best player to lead the Delhi sideWhen 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 he said He has all my good wishes to make amazing things happen with our absolutely incredible team Im going to miss the team tremendously and will be cheering for them throughout Head coach Ricky Ponting said Pants success in the series against Australia and England will give him the confidence needed to take on the new roleThis is a tremendous opportunity for young Rishabh who is coming off successful stints against Australia and England which will no doubt give him the confidence needed to take on a new role that comes with a lot more responsibility the former Australian captain said The coaching group is excited to work with him and we cant wait for the season to get started Coowner Parth Jindal said Pant embodies DCs passionate and fearless brand of cricket There is no doubt that Shreyas Iyers leadership and batting will be missed this year and we hope to see him back on the field soon Jindal saidDelhi Capitals as a team plays a passionate and fearless brand of cricket and Rishabh Pant embodies that best The Delhi team has played an important role in his growth as a cricketer just like he has played an equally important role in the growth of the Delhi team The Delhi Capitals will take on Chennai Super Kings in their first match of the IPL 2021 season at the Wankhede Stadium on April 10 Delhi Capitals finished as runnersup in the last edition of the IPL losing to Mumbai Indians in the finalThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever