The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 retention deadline is nearing, as the teams have been busy doing trade deals and also preparing the retention and release list ahead of the mini-auction on December 16. Amidst this, former India opener Aakash Chopra has announced KL Rahul as the front-runner to become Delhi Capitals (DC) next captain, though no confirmation has come.

Delhi Capitals has been one of the busiest sides in this trade window as they did a high-profile trade deal with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). They brought back Rishabh Pant from LSG in exchange for their star spinner, Kuldeep Yadav. There were also rumours of Axar Patel possibly leaving the franchise ahead of the season.

KL Rahul to captain DC, says Aakash Chopra

While speaking on JioStar's Game Plan, Aakash Chopra stated that there are a few problems with captaincy for the DC. Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Axar Patel are the captaincy options. However, Rahul is the front-runner to lead the side in the forthcoming season, despite the option of Pant.

Aakash Chopra said (as quoted by NDTV), "There are multiple questions, actually. It's an MCQ because who will be the captain? Rishabh Pant has been a captaincy candidate, KL Rahul is an option, and I'm hearing that Axar doesn't want to be the captain. So, with everything going on, you don't even know who will captain the side. It could well be KL Rahul at this stage."

Aakash Chopra confirms Rishabh Pant's batting position

In the same video, Aakash Chopra also shared the combination of the DC side and revealed the position that Rishabh Pant must bat. He believes that the Southpaw should bat at top 4 for the side and not below that, as DC has a packed middle order in the form of Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma and Sameer Rizvi.

"And Rishabh Pant, now that you have traded him, must bat in the top four. If you are going to bat him lower than that, then you will not utilise him to his fullest potential. I felt that in that trade, LSG was better off because you couldn't have asked for more than a bowler of Kuldeep's calibre for that pitch," he said.

"Ashutosh, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, plus Axar Patel, and then you've got Miller. So, it's a very decent setup."

"The problem area for them will be their bowling department": Aakash Chopra on DC's bowling attack

While speaking on DC's bowling attack, the former KKR opener believes that they are looking a bit weak in terms of availability, with Mitchell Starc being in question given the ODI World Cup 2027 and also the Ashes series. He believes that they have a decent pace attack, with Mukesh Kumar leading the line, whose form in the shortest format has been poor.

"The problem area for them will be their bowling department. Because Mitchell Starc, will he play? It will be a conversation as to whether he will be available to play or not. They will face an issue with their fast bowling this season and how they plan to address it, I've got no idea. Mukesh is at eight crore, Auqib Nabi at Rs 8.4 crore, and then you have Mitchell Starc at nearly 12, so that's a lot of money."

"Lungi Ngidi was cheap, picked up for Rs 2 crore. He turned out to be a fantastic bargain. Dushmantha Chameera and Kyle Jamieson weren't as expensive either. But the more expensive players might not be available. Their pedigree and current form are still uncertain, and Mukesh Kumar's T20 numbers have actually plummeted a little," he concluded.

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