Rishabh Pant to replace MS Dhoni at CSK, set to follow Ricky Ponting out of Delhi Capitals: Report
Published - 15 Jul 2024, 09:21 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:15 AM
Delhi Capitals' decision to part ways with Ricky Ponting has raised a number of eyebrows. The franchise announced the decision out of the blue last week.
The former Australia captain was serving as the head coach of the Delhi-based outfit since 2018. Under his coaching, Delhi Capitals reached the final of the IPL for the first time in their history and also qualified for the playoffs twice. However, they could not perform well in the last three seasons, failing to advance ahead of the league stage in each of them.
After three poor seasons in a row, Delhi Capitals finally decided to part ways with Ricky Ponting. With the former Australia cricketer sacked as the head coach of the team, speculations are rife that Rishabh Pant could also follow him out of the door.
Rishabh Pant to leave Delhi Capitals?
As per recent media reports, Rishabh Pant's future in Delhi Capitals is uncertain after Ponting's departure. The wicketkeeper-batsman shares a strong bond with Ponting and could leave the franchise after the latter's departure.
Ponting had played a key role in Rishabh Pant's elevation as the captain of the team in 2021. Even though Shreyas Iyer was the captain when Delhi made it to the finals in 2020, he was released by the franchise and Pant was made the captain.
According to a report in the Republic, Pant could leave Delhi Capitals for Chennai Super Kings. With MS Dhoni's days as a player numbered, CSK must be looking for a good replacement and Pant could be a good fit. Dhoni has not taken a call on his future as a player yet but it won't be surprising if he retires ahead of the next season or after that.
Pant has been playing for Delhi Capitals from his very first IPL season. He has been with the team since 2016. So far, he has played 111 games and has scored 3284 runs with the help of a century and 18 half-centuries. He was Delhi's highest run-scorer even in this year's IPL, scoring 446 runs with the help of 3 fifties.
