Not Ranji Trophy or Duleep Trophy! Rishabh Pant urges cricketers to play in this league for greater recognition

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant opened up about his excitement to play the first game of the Delhi Premier League. He said that the tournament will be a great opportunity for the young players to make themselves a huge name and get into the Indian Premier League.

The inaugural edition of the Delhi Premier League is all set to take place from 17th August. The tournament opener will be played between the Purani Delhi 6 team and South Delhi Superstarz, which will be captained by the Lucknow Super Giants batter Ayush Badoni. The game will start at 8:30 PM IST.

In what will be the major boost to the tournament, Rishabh Pant will be playing the first game of the tournament for the Purani Delhi 6 team. The keeper-batter will be playing just one game and then will be going for training ahead of the Duleep Trophy.

Pant himself agreed to play the one game for the tournament because his presence for the first game would set the tone for the entire tournament. The keeper-batter agreed to play because he wants to help DDCA in their new initiative as the association has helped him a lot in his career.

Pant while speaking to the Purani Delhi 6 team, the keeper-batter talked about the tournament as an opportunity for youngsters. He said that it's a massive platform at ground level for the players as they can gain a lot of attention. He explained:

"I'm excited to play in Delhi Premier League because I feel on the ground level a very big opportunity for players who don't get recognition in IPL. When people see playing you these leagues, they can pick you from these leagues. Hopefully, they (young players) have a good journey in the tournament."

Along with Pant, Ishant Sharma will be playing for the team. Purani Dilli 6 also bagged the 20-year-old opening batsmen and off-spinner, Arpit Rana and the right-arm pacer, Prince Yadav.

Having Ishant Sharma and Rishabh Pant on our side brings tremendous experience and skill - Purani Dilli 6 owner Mr Akash Nangia

Purani Dilli 6 owner Mr. Akash Nangia talked about the tournament, saying that having Rishabh Pant and Ishant Sharma will bring tremendous experience and skill into the team and they are confident of making an impact in the league. He explained:

"We are thrilled to kick off the DPL with such an exciting lineup. Having Ishant Sharma and Rishabh Pant on our side brings tremendous experience and skill, which has inspired and motivated our younger players. We are confident that Purani Dilli 6 will make a strong impact in the league,"

Here's the Purani Dilli 6 squad:

Lalit Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Arpit Rana, Shivam Sharma, Prince Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Mayank Gusain, Sanat Sangwan, Ankit Bhadana, Yug Gupta, Keshav Dalal, Ayush Singh, Kush Nagpal, Sumit Chhikara, Arnav Bugga, Vansh Bedi, Manjeet, Yash Bhardawaj, Sambhav Sharma, Laxman.