IPL 2021: Shreyas Iyer To Continue As Delhi Capitals Captain, Steve Smith To Be A Mentor

The Delhi Capitals (DC) have seen an upswing in their fortunes ever since Shreyas Iyer took over as captain in the middle of the IPL 2018 season when Gautam Gambhir stood down from leadership position after a poor start in that season.

Iyer managed to take the team to the cusp of playoffs qualification in that season. He was then named full-time captain of the franchise in IPL 2019 and the team made it into the playoffs after a long time and in IPL 2020, the team reached their maiden IPL final, only to lose to Mumbai Indians, who won their fifth IPL title.

I Am Sure The Team Will Continue To Do Well Under Shreyas Iyer’s Leadership: Capitals CEO Col. Vinod Bisht

In the IPL 2021 auction, the Delhi Capitals brought Australia’s premier batsman Steve Smith for his base price and it has been alleged that Smith might take over the captaincy from Shreyas Iyer, given his experience and success with the Australian team.

However, the Delhi Capitals management has decided to continue with Iyer as captain of the team for the upcoming IPL 2021.

“We backed Shreyas when we promoted him to be the captain. Under him, the team came third in 2019 and reached the final in 2020. He is growing as a leader. I am sure the team will continue to do well under his leadership. Any of the seniors who come in, be it Rahane, Ashwin or Steve Smith, they have a lot of knowledge to impart to the young camp. We expect all the seniors will continue to do so including Steve Smith,” Capitals CEO Col. Vinod Bisht told TOI on Friday.

Youngsters Will Be The Focus With Two New Teams Coming In: DC CEO

The Delhi Capitals CEO Col. Vinod Bisht also said that the franchise had invested in lots of youngsters for the past 4-5 years like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and others and now are reaping the benefits of their efforts. He also added that with two new teams coming in next year, youngsters will be the focus.

“We had a young team which has been groomed for the last 3-4 years. Now they have flowered. If the youngsters continue to do well, we will look to have them with the two new teams coming in next year,” Bisht added.

Also Read: Reports: IPL To See Two New Franchises Being Auctioned During The IPL 2021 Edition In May