IPL 2021: Rishabh Pant to continue as the captain of Delhi Capitals

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is set to continue as skipper of the Delhi Capitals (DC) for the second half of IPL 2021, the franchise announced on September 16.

Rishabh Pant took over as the team's leader just ahead of the start of IPL 2021 after Shreyas Iyer injured his shoulder during an ODI match against England.

Under Rishabh's leadership, the Delhi Capitals have managed to excel thus far this season. They finished first on the points table with six wins in eight games before the tournament was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In their statement, the Delhi Capitals wrote:

"JSW-GMR co-owned Delhi Capitals today announced that Rishabh Pant will continue as captain for the remainder of the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League. Delhi Capitals is currently on top of the points table with 6 wins from 8 matches, and will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on the 22nd of September when the league resumes in the UAE."

Rishabh Pant's IPL 2021 thus far with the bat

Rishabh Pant is the third-highest run-scorer for the Delhi Capitals thus far in IPL 2021, behind Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. The 23-year-old has mustered 213 runs in eight matches at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 131.48.

Having done so well both with the bat and with his captaincy, Pant would be hopeful of keeping the good work going in the other half of the tournament, which kicks off in September 19 in the UAE.

The return of Shreyas Iyer should also be a huge boost and will give Rishabh Pant more options to play around with in terms of the composition of the playing XI.

DC owner Parth Jindal also tweeted about Rishabh Pant continuing as skipper. He wrote that he was excited to have Shreyas Iyer back in the squad and added that he does not doubt Pant and Iyer will help the side in their quest for a maiden IPL title.

"Super excited for the remainder of season - very happy to have @ShreyasIyer15 back in the squad and fully fit - have no doubt that Rishabh and him together will continue the fantastic work done in the first half of the season - let’s bring home the title @DelhiCapitals @IPL," he wrote in his tweet.