Ahead of IPL 2027, Rishabh Pant has made a return to the Delhi Capitals (DC) through a blockbuster trade with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). In the IPL 2025 mega auction, LSG had acquired Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crores, which made him the most expensive player in IPL history.
There has been speculation over whether Rishabh Pant will once again be appointed captain of DC, since the franchise has chosen to part ways with Axar Patel after two seasons. So, here are three reasons why Rishabh Pant should not take over as DC captain again.
Here are the 3 reasons why Rishabh Pant shouldn’t be handed captaincy at DC in IPL 2027:
3. Record of poor captaincy on and off the field
Rishabh Pant’s captaincy tenure has made one thing clear: his decision-making regarding team composition is very poor. He also made some of the most puzzling calls on the field, both for DC and for LSG. Moreover, even as captain, Rishabh Pant was unable to settle on his own batting position in the LSG XI. He opened in a few innings, then batted at no. 3 and later at no. 6. This disrupted not only his own batting but also that of Nicholas Pooran.
2. Failed to balance his leadership duties and batting
A major reason Rishabh Pant struggled with both batting and captaincy for DC and LSG was his inability to cope with the pressure of juggling both roles at once. The strain of LSG’s failure to win matches and reach the playoffs, along with the burden of justifying his INR 27 crore price tag, took a toll on both Pant’s batting and his captaincy.
1. Rishabh Pant is more valuable as a batter.
Rishabh Pant is more valuable as a batter, and this was proven when India removed him as Test vice-captain, and even DC had asked him to step down as captain and focus on batting before he moved to LSG. He did not succeed as a batter or captain for LSG before his return home to DC. Performing well with the bat will give Pant confidence, since he has also lost his place in India’s white-ball squads. Therefore, Pant needs to focus not on captaincy but on his individual performance.
