Rishabh Pant ‘declines’ Delhi’s captaincy offer: Reports

Rishabh Pant is all set to play his first Ranji Trophy in seven years, having made himself available for Delhi’s forthcoming encounter against Saurashtra starting January 23, but in what comes as a surprise, the 27-year-old will reportedly not be leading his state side in the domestic fixture.

Cricbuzz reports that Pant, despite being offered captaincy, declined the leadership offer and told the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) selection committee to stick with Ayush Badoni as skipper to avoid disrupting a settled side.

"He was offered the captaincy but declined, suggesting that Badoni should continue as skipper," a source in the know told Cricbuzz.

"He believed it wouldn't be right to step in as captain solely based on his experience as an international and an IPL franchise skipper. He felt that his entry as captain might disrupt the team's balance. Instead, he expressed confidence in the current captain and coach (Sarandeep Singh), to carry forward their vision envisioned at the start of the season,” the source added.

Himmat Singh began the season as Delhi's captain, but the 28-year-old was sacked following a poor run that saw the side win just one of its first four matches. A nine-wicket defeat at the hands of Chandigarh proved to be the final straw, after which Badoni was appointed skipper.

Badoni captained Delhi against Jharkhand in November in the final Ranji game before the break, and that clash ended as a draw. 

Incidentally, Pant and Badoni will play for the same team - Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) - in the forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Pant is one among many high-profile names expected to feature in the upcoming round of the Ranji Trophy. Shubman Gill will also play for Punjab, while there is an outside chance that Rohit Sharma might play for Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir. 

There were rumours that Virat Kohli might also be in Delhi's squad, but a neck sprain has put the veteran's participation in jeopardy.