Shreyas Iyer and Suresh Raina have backed the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) decision to appoint wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant their skipper for the upcoming 14th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), starting April 9 in Chennai.
Pant was named as the DC captain for IPL 2021 after Shreyas Iyer, who had led the side in previous three season, was ruled out of the entire season after hurting his shoulder while fielding in the 1st ODI against England recently.
Commenting on Pant’s appointment as the DC skipper, Iyer said he had ‘no doubts’ the left-hander would be the ‘best man’ to do the job in his absence.
“When I sustained the shoulder injury, and Delhi Capitals needed a leader for this edition of the IPL, I had no doubt that Rishabh (Pant) would be the best man for the job,” said Iyer.
“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,” he added.
Meanwhile, Raina felt that Pant would be a talismanic leader for DC.
“Heartiest congratulations to @RishabhPant17 on being named the captain of @DelhiCapitals for this season. I am sure he will be a talismanic leader and will be donning this new cap with pride,” Raina tweeted.
Significantly, it will be Pant’s debut as IPL captain. Overall, the 23-year-old has featured in 68 matches in the cash-rich league.