For the past two days, captaincy has been the talk of the town in Indian cricket. Earlier, Suryakumar Yadav was announced as India’s new T20I captain instead of Hardik Pandya, and now we’re hearing that the Delhi Capitals (DC) management isn’t too pleased with their captain Rishabh Pant and isn’t looking to retain him for the upcoming IPL 2025 season.
However, Sourav Ganguly, who’s likely to become DC’s new head coach following Ricky Ponting’s departure, isn’t too keen to let Pant go. But, in the case he does leave, the wicketkeeper batter will join the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The news of him joining the Yellow Army is much more fascinating than his leaving his hometown franchise, Delhi.
Rishabh Pant, the perfect MS Dhoni replacement
Why? Well, because CSK is home to a living legend who also happens to be a wicketkeeper in MS Dhoni. The former Indian skipper has been associated with the franchise since the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) inception in 2008, and one could argue that the reason why CSK has a huge following could be directly attributed to him.
However, Dhoni isn’t a spring chicken anymore. He’s been physically struggling for the last couple of years, and in the last edition of the IPL (2024), he managed to play just 73 balls in the whole tournament. His wicketkeeping, which has earned him so much praise, wasn’t great either. He also handed the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, and it won’t be a shock if he and the CSK management are looking for his replacement.
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And who better to replace him than Rishabh Pant? The southpaw may have already become the greatest Indian wicketkeeper batter in Test cricket, and at just 26, he is an IPL legend as well. He has plenty of experience behind the stumps, is a great reader of the game, and has exceptional leadership skills as well.
We know Dhoni is nearing the end of his cricketing career, and to see the master behind the stump replaced by his protege would be satisfying for Dhoni, Pant, and CSK.
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