Rishabh Pant’s return to Delhi Capitals has sparked debate over the franchise’s ideal batting order, with suggestions that the wicketkeeper-batter could open alongside KL Rahul in the upcoming IPL season. Delhi possess several players who are naturally suited to batting in the top order, including Prithvi Shaw, Nitish Rana, Abishek Porel, Pathum Nissanka, Karun Nair and Sahil Parakh, making Pant’s role a key selection call for the team management. “I’d love for Rishabh to bat in the top three. If that’s an area Delhi Capitals are looking to address, why not have Pant and Rahul open the batting? There are so many top-order options in the squad, but not too many clearly defined middle-order batters,” the former India batter told JioStar.
However, there is also a case for retaining Pant in the middle order, where he enjoyed considerable success during his earlier stint with the franchise.
“He hasn’t had consistent success batting at four and five over the last two years, but things could change at Delhi. Earlier in his career, he was extremely successful as a middle-order batter. If the management wants him at No. 4, that can work as well,” he added.
The discussion comes as Delhi prepare for a new era under their revamped support staff, with the franchise expected to finalise its batting combination ahead of IPL 2027.
The former cricketer also questioned Delhi’s decision to trade T Natarajan to Sunrisers Hyderabad in exchange for Zeeshan Ansari, arguing that the franchise already possesses similar spin-bowling options.
“They already have Vipraj Nigam, who is a leg-spinner and can contribute with the bat. With Axar Patel also in the side, it raises the question of how many specialist spinners Delhi plan to field. I felt Sunrisers Hyderabad may have benefited more from that trade,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
CWG 2026 Weightlifting Gold Medallist, Mirabai Chanu Get Hero’s Welcome in Delhi
Topics mentioned in this article
Source link
[ad_3]
