Rishabh Pant aspires to captain India: DC co-owner Parth Jindal
Parth Jindal, the Delhi Capitals's co-owner, has revealed that star batter Rishabh Pant dreams of captaining the Indian cricket team. He made the revelation during an interview with ESPNcricinfo after the recently-concluded 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. Pant, a wicket-keeper batter, was acquired by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a whopping ₹27 crore in the auction. Pant, who earlier led the Capitals, became the most expensive player in IPL auction history.
Pant's leadership journey begins with IPL
Jindal recalled a conversation with Pant, stating, "We were quite clear that we know his ambitions, we know where he wants to go. He's made it amply clear that his dream and desire is to captain India and that starts with captaining an IPL team." The statement highlights Pant's leadership aspirations in the cricketing world.
Jindal bids farewell to Pant on social media
Meanwhile, Jindal poured his heart out on social media, talking about Pant's departure from Delhi Capitals. He called Pant his younger brother and hoped to see him again. "You will always be in DC and I hope one day we can reunite," wrote Jindal, marking an end of an era at the franchise with Pant's exit.
Jindal clarifies reasons behind Pant's departure
Jindal clarified that philosophical differences prompted Pant to leave Delhi Capitals after nine seasons, three of which he captained. He refuted rumors that a dispute over captaincy was the reason for Pant's exit. "We gave him some feedback regarding leadership. We suggested ways he could improve," said Jindal, shedding light on the discussions before Pant's departure from the team.
Jindal discusses potential successors for Delhi Capitals's captaincy
Apart from Pant's exit, Jindal spoke about possible successors for the captaincy at Delhi Capitals. He named Indian all-rounder Axar Patel and batter KL Rahul as the top contenders. "Axar has been with the franchise for a long period of time. He has been a tremendous player for the franchise. He is probably the best all-rounder in T20 cricket today," Jindal said, emphasizing Patel's contributions and leadership potential.
Pant fared well for DC
Pant was a pivotal player for the Capitals, scoring 3,284 runs in 111 matches at an average of 35.31. His highest score is an impressive 128*. The southpaw has slammed 18 fifties besides a ton as his strike reads an impressive 148.93. Pant finished as DC's highest scorer in the IPL 2024 campaign. He amassed 446 runs from 13 matches at an average of 40.54.
