Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra feels most of Delhi Capitals’ issues heading into IPL 2024 would be resolved if Rishabh Pant is there. However, Pant is set to lead the Delhi-based franchise in next season’s IPL, as per a report from ESPNcricinfo. But he might not do the wicketkeeping duties as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “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.”
The former India opener further 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.”
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However, Aakash Chopra added that his return is not guaranteed, considering his grievous injuries and the lengthy rehab process he has been going on. He also added that IPL 2024 isn’t too far as it will likely start around the third week of March as well.
“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, Aakash Chopra concluded. “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.”
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The Delhi Capitals have released 11 players ahead of the auction. They have a remaining purse of ₹28.95 crore to buy a maximum of nine players, including four foreigners.
