If Rishabh Pant is available, Aakash Chopra believes the majority of the Delhi Capitals’ problems would be fixed before the IPL 2024 season.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Pant will skipper the Delhi-based club in next season’s IPL. He may not, however, undertake wicketkeeping responsibilities and instead play as a specialist hitter.
Chopra highlighted the Delhi Capitals’ faults in IPL 2023 in a video posted to his YouTube channel, predicting that many of them will be corrected if Rishabh Pant returns as captain. He said:
“Whatever they were doing was not right. There was a lack of intent in the powerplay, no one was trying to hit. For the first time, we saw David Warner playing so many balls without hitting a six. Axar Patel was playing the best but they were not getting him to bat or they were not getting him to bowl all his overs.”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener added:
“In one match, they gave Mukesh Kumar straightaway the 19th over. Plenty of things were wrong last year and they are trying to correct them. They are doing that with a huge hope that Rishabh Pant becomes available. If Rishabh Pant is available, a lot of things get sorted out automatically.”
Aakash Chopra
However, Chopra admitted that the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter’s return is not inevitable, given his severe injuries and the extensive rehabilitation process he has had to go through. He also stated that IPL 2024 isn’t far away, as it would most likely begin in the third week of March.
“I found their list very interesting” – Aakash Chopra reacts to Delhi Capitals’ retentions and releases
The Delhi Capitals’ retentions and releases confused Aakash Chopra. He reasoned as follows:
“I found their list very interesting because whoever they didn’t play last year is still a part of the team and they have released whoever they played. So I am thinking if you had to retain players you didn’t play, you should have played them because they were better players.”
Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator went on to say that Capitals supporters are used to being taken aback. He stated:
“What have they done exactly, I am still confused, and you might be as well. If you are a fan of Delhi, you are used to getting confused, because there are only three teams from the original eight who have never won this trophy to date – Delhi, Punjab and Bangalore.”
Aakash Chopra
The Delhi Capitals have released 11 players ahead of the auction. They have a leftover budget of 28.95 crore to sign a maximum of nine players, including four foreigners.