3 alternatives for Shreyas Iyer as the captain of Delhi Capitals
The newly christened Delhi Capitals will be certainly hoping that the franchise's new avatar would work wonders in the upcoming edition of the IPL. The Delhi supporters too, who have been utterly disappointed in the past few editions, will be looking forward to their favourite team to start afresh.
While the previous edition did guarantee much in store for Delhi Daredevils initially, the end, sadly, proved to be in a sorry state of affairs. With Gautam Gambhir preferring to step aside mid-way through the league, the captaincy duties were entrusted upon young Shreyas Iyer, who had already made a mark for himself with the franchise.
The youngster made a roaring debut as DD's captain and guided the team to a victory with a blistering 93*, promising a ray hope for the men in red and blue. However, things once again ended in tatters for the Delhi-based franchise as it finished last on the points table with just 5 wins out of 14 games.
Come 2019, and Shreyas Iyer will once again be cited as the team's captain. While the owners and fans would want nothing less than exceptional from their youthful skipper, it wouldn't be a surprise if the franchise continues its legacy of changing captains in the due course of the tournament.
So here are 3 alternatives from the retained list of players, who can pitch in to shoulder the captaincy responsibilities for Delhi Capitals.
#1 Shikhar Dhawan
The return of Shikhar Dhawan should surely boost Delhi's chances in the twelfth edition of the IPL. A flamboyant opener, who can set the tone right from the word go, Dhawan too, will be itching to win glory for his home side.
An accomplished player all across the globe, Dhawan would come as an alternative for Shreyas Iyer as the team's captain if the need be. Having captained Sunrisers Hyderabad previously, albeit, without much success, the southpaw would be a decent contender given his international experience and familiarity with the Feroz Shah Kotla.
#2 Prithvi Shaw
Currently grabbing headlines all over with his breathtaking strokeplay is India's young Prithvi Shaw. Breaking on to the scene with his dream run in the ICC U19 World Cup, the youngster from Maharashtra has been retained by the Delhi franchise for the upcoming edition.
Expected to propel Delhi Capitals with his impressive batsmanship, next year's IPL is likely to witness Shaw assume a role of greater substance. With the merit of leading India to glory at this year's U19 World Cup, the 19-year-old would, expectedly, come as another nominee for leading Delhi Capitals in any possible scenario. Ideally, it would be Shaw's impressive temperament and aggressive leadership that could come in handy here.
#3 Rishabh Pant
Busy making name as a show-stopper, Delhi's Rishabh Pant was quite the stand-out in the team's otherwise insipid campaign in IPL 2018. Smashing bowlers to all parts of the park whilst scripting some epic knocks, Pant turned into a household name as the tournament unfolded.
As the franchise continues to strive for its maiden IPL title, Pant would inevitably be a regular feature in the team's playing XI next year. Also, having led the Delhi Ranji side already, the swashbuckling left-hander would be yet another alternative to replace Iyer as the captain of Delhi Capitals.