Rishabh Pant's return to Delhi Capitals has given the franchise a familiar face ahead of IPL 2027, but it has also presented the management with a complicated selection puzzle. With KL Rahul, Axar Patel and Pant all potentially in the leadership conversation, DC must first settle their captaincy plans before finalising the batting combination.

Former India batter Abhinav Mukund believes Delhi should consider a significant reshuffle at the top of the order, even suggesting that Pant and Rahul could open together.

Speaking on JioStar's Game Plan, Mukund highlighted the abundance of top-order options in the squad and questioned whether Delhi have enough established middle-order batters to accommodate everyone.

"I'd love for Rishabh to bat in the top three. If that is an area where Delhi Capitals are looking to address, why not have Pant and Rahul open the batting? That is something I would do first with this side because I somehow struggled to find middle-order batters, as there are so many top-order options. Then you can use all your multiple other options. It's also a case of new support staff, Dada, Yuvi Paa and all of them. So, you don't know what their strategy is. We'll have to wait and see what sort of team they'll build," he said.

Captaincy and Team Balance: DC's Two Big Challenges

The batting discussion is closely linked to the captaincy question. Aakash Chopra believes Delhi have multiple leadership candidates, with Pant and Rahul emerging as the primary options, while Axar Patel's willingness to captain remains uncertain.

The franchise's bowling combination has also attracted scrutiny. Chopra expressed concerns over Mitchell Starc's availability and the money invested in the pace department.

Meanwhile, Mukund questioned Delhi's decision to trade T Natarajan to Sunrisers Hyderabad in exchange for Zeeshan Ansari, arguing that the franchise already possesses similar spin-bowling options.

"I was very surprised when they released, or rather traded, Natarajan for Ansari because they've already got a Vipraj Nigam who's very similar, a leggie, who can also bat. Axar Patel, Vipraj, how many more spinners are you going to field? So, I thought SRH were better off with that trade than DC getting in Zeeshan Ansari. I don't get that trade either."

Story first published: Thursday, November 12, 2026, 17:44 [IST]

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