3 players who can captain Delhi Capitals (DC) if Rishabh Pant is unfit for IPL 2023

Team India keeper-batter and Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant had a miraculous escape following a horrific car crash on December 30. The 25-year-old was on his way to meet his mother. However, his car crashed into a divider and went up in flames. Luckily, the cricketer escaped, although he suffered multiple injuries following the impact of the collision.

As per the latest update, the stumper has been shifted from the ICU to a private ward at the Max Hospital in Dehradun. However, it is still too early to say how long Pant will take to recover. Apparently, the extent of all his injuries is yet to be ascertained.

An official BCCI statement following the accident revealed that the left-handed batter suffered two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee, and abrasion injuries to his back, apart from injuries to his wrist, ankle, and toe.

As per some media reports, Pant looks set to miss out on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as well as the Indian Premier League (IPL).

We pick three replacement options for DC as captain in case Pant is declared unfit for IPL 2023.

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#1 David Warner

Delhi Capitals opener David Warner. Pic: BCCI

Veteran Aussie opener David Warner seems like the front-runner to captain DC in the event of Pant’s absence. While the southpaw is not highly rated as a leader back in Australia for varying reasons (the ball-tampering scandal being prime among them), he has tasted success as a leader in the IPL.

After being appointed as the skipper of SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2015, he captained the franchise to their only IPL title in 2016. Warner led from the front, hammering 848 runs and finishing as the second-highest run-getter in the edition after Virat Kohli (973). The southpaw continued to flourish with the bat in subsequent editions, although SRH, as a team, could not replicate its success.

Warner’s association with the Hyderabad franchise, however, came to a sour end. He was sacked as captain midway through IPL 2021 and was not retained for the 2022 season. The Aussie, however, was at home on his return to his former franchise DC. In IPL 2022, he smashed 432 runs in 12 matches at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 150.52.

In the wake of reports that Australian players are likely to be available for the entire duration of IPL 2023, DC could consider Warner as a captaincy option if Pant doesn’t recover in time.

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#2 Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw has played some fantastic knocks for DC. Pic: BCCI

Exciting young opener Prithvi Shaw is another name worth considering. The aggressive right-handed batter was the captain of the Indian team that lifted the 2018 Under19 World Cup in New Zealand. Shaw, under the guidance of Rahul Dravid as a coach, impressed as a leader.

He has also captained Mumbai in domestic cricket with reasonable success. The good part about Shaw’s leadership was that his batting wasn’t affected by the additional responsibility. He did an outstanding job while captaining Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2020-21. Shaw broke a few records, clobbering 827 runs in eight matches at an average of 165.40 and a strike rate of 138.29. He seemed to enjoy the role of leader, clubbing four hundreds in the competition.

The 23-year-old has established himself as a key member of the DC outfit. In 63 IPL games, he has scored 1588 runs at an average of 25.21 and a strike rate of 147.45, with 12 fifties. He has got the team off to some blazing starts, even as his opening partners have changed.

Will Delhi consider him as their leader if Pant is unavailable for IPL 2023? Only time will tell.

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#3 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav celebrates a wicket during IPL 2022. Pic: BCCI

Among bowlers, left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav could be a choice, albeit an off-beat one. The 28-year-old doesn’t have much on his CV in terms of leadership experience. At the same time, he was one of the standout performers for Delhi in IPL 2022. In 14 matches, Kuldeep claimed 21 wickets at an average of 19.95 and an economy rate of 8.44.

The left-arm spinner impressed on his Test comeback in Chattogram against Bangladesh, claiming a five-fer and also contributing with the willow. His commitment to the team was evident for all. However, he was shockingly left out of the playing XI for the next Test in Dhaka.

Kuldeep is an experienced T20 campaigner and has an excellent record in the format. In 121 matches, he has claimed 149 wickets at an average of 21.36 and an economy rate of 7.50. He will be high on confidence following his success in recent times. Could be a dark horse to lead DC in Pant’s likely absence.

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