IPL 2022: Ricky Ponting thought Rishabh Pant will be a better option to lead DC than Shreyas Iyer: Ajay Jadeja

Former Indian batter Ajay Jadeja reckons Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting thought Rishabh Pant will be a better option to lead the franchise than Shreyas Iyer.

Iyer had led Delhi Capitals to the final of IPL 2020 but he was ruled out of the first leg of IPL 2021 due to a shoulder injury.

Consequently, Rishabh Pant was appointed as the new leader of the team. When Iyer returned back for the second phase of the tournament in the previous season, he played only as a player as the franchise decided to continue with Pant as captain. Pant was able to take DC to the playoff stages in the last edition of the tournament.

As Iyer has captaincy aspirations, he was released by Delhi Capitals before IPL 2022 mega auction. The Mumbai batter was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping amount of INR 12.25 crores in the mega auction and he was then named as the new leader of the team.

Jadeja feels Pant is calling the shots in the team and he has the backing of head coach Ricky Ponting.

“Rishabh Pant’s decisions have been good and he is an aggressive player. It seemed like he was playing a senior role very early in his career. The youth factor must stay intact. It was amazing to see him play this way today. Nobody expects him to go out there and play like the rest of the batters,” Jadeja said while speaking on Cricbuzz.

“At times, when someone is made captain, you can feel that someone’s guiding them. But with Pant, it’s clear that he is the one calling the shots. Ricky Ponting backed Rishabh Pant ahead of ex-captain Shreyas Iyer. He saw both of them and selected Pant to lead the side as he thought him to be the better option out of the two,” Jadeja said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals were able to keep themselves in contention for the playoff stages after beating Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai on Wednesday. DC has now won six matches out of the 12 games they have played.

DC will next face Punjab Kings at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai on Monday.