New Delhi, November 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has raised questions over Delhi Capitals’ leadership plans and bowling strength following their trade involving Rishabh Pant, identifying captaincy uncertainty and concerns over the pace attack as key challenges ahead of the upcoming IPL season.
Chopra believes KL Rahul could emerge as the frontrunner for the captaincy, while Pant’s batting position will be crucial to ensuring Delhi get the best out of the trade.
“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,” Chopra told JioStar.
He also insisted that Pant must bat in the top four to maximise his impact, arguing that deploying the wicketkeeper-batter lower down the order would limit his potential.
Chopra further suggested that Lucknow Super Giants may have gained more from the exchange, given the quality of the bowling option Delhi received in return.
While acknowledging Delhi’s batting depth, which includes Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Ashutosh Sharma and Sameer Rizvi, Chopra identified the bowling department as a possible weakness.
He questioned whether Mitchell Starc would be available for the season and expressed concern over the franchise’s fast-bowling options.
Chopra also pointed to the substantial investments in Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Nabi and Starc, saying their availability and current form remained important considerations. In contrast, he described Lungi Ngidi’s relatively inexpensive acquisition as a successful bargain.
He also mentioned Dushmantha Chameera and Kyle Jamieson as economical additions, while noting that Mukesh Kumar’s T20 numbers had declined somewhat.
Chopra said Delhi would need to find solutions to their pace-bowling concerns if they hoped to build a balanced side for the upcoming IPL campaign.
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