Former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer has advised the Indian keeper-batter Rishabh Pant to decline the captaincy offer from the Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise, adding that he should play as a player instead.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Jaffer asserted that Pant’s priority should be to perform well in the cash-rich league and make his way to the Indian limited-over sides. For the unversed, Pant stepped down as captain after a tough IPL 2026 campaign for the Lucknow Super Giants.
“If Delhi Capitals even offer him the captaincy, I think it is better for him to say no. You know, the way KL has done it, he is enjoying his time as a player. There is a lot of pressure when you have to lead a franchise: the pressure from the owners, the expectations, the pressure from the fans, plus you have to focus on your own performance. On top of that, he is also a wicketkeeper and has to bat,” Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.
“I think it is better for him to play as a player because, you know, his performance has come down. Again, I feel Rishabh’s priority should be to perform well in the IPL and make his way back into the T20I and ODI teams. Captaincy is not his priority because he is not currently in India’s leadership group where he could become the captain. I think he needs to keep that aside and focus on performing as a batter, winning matches for his franchise as a batsman. I think that is what is best for Rishabh Pant,” he added.
“Just play as a batsman and win matches. He has the ability to win four or five matches on his own. If he plays like that, I think that is best. So, I think the best thing for Rishabh Pant is to give up the captaincy and play as a player,” he concluded.
Notably, Pant took over as the Delhi Capitals’ captain when Shreyas Iyer was injured in 2021, leading the franchise for three seasons before being released ahead of the 2025 mega auction. He was roped in by LSG at the mega auction for a whopping INR 27 Crore.
