Former Indian Player Aakash Chopra has stated that Delhi Capitals have done a lot of things in the player retentions hoping their captain Rishabh Pant will be back for this season. DC had a forgettable 2023 season where they finished at 9th position on the points table.
Several Articles released by ESPNCricinfo and Cricbuzz have confirmed that Pant will make his return to cricket during the next IPL. He will be the captain of the side if he returns but the role he will play can still not be confirmed. There were several news saying he would play as an Impact Player and might not keep the wickets. All will depend on his recovery and BCCI will have the final say in whether he will keep wickets or not.
There was lack of intent- Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel reviewing the teams before the auction has said that DC got most of their tactics wrong in the last season and the return of Pant would boost the side and solve most of their problems. He explained,
“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,” said Aakash Chopra.
The Former player 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,” he stated.
The former batter however said that Pant’s return is not yet officially confirmed and taking the long rehab process and the time available with IPL scheduled to start from mid-March. The Wicketkeeper Batter is currently at the NCA Bangalore and undergoing the rehab process.
What have they done exactly, I am still confused- Aakash Chopra on DC’s retention strategy
Delhi Capitals has released as many as 11 players before the Auction. Former Indian Opener Aakash Chopra says that he is still confused about the DC’s retention strategy. The cricketer-turned-commentator has elaborated,
“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,” said Aakash Chopra.
He concluded by saying that the DC’s fans are used to getting confused by their team’s strategies.
“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,” he added.
Delhi Capitals enter the auction with ₹28.95 crore in their purse and will be looking to cover a few bases. The team has let go half of its foreign Players and will be going after a few of them at the upcoming auction.