Delhi Capitals (DC) appointed Rishabh Pant as their new captain for the upcoming season after Shreyas Iyer dislocated his left shoulder.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) appointed Rishabh Pant as their new captain for the upcoming season. The development came in the wake of the Capitals' regular captain Shreyas Iyer being ruled out after he dislocated his left shoulder during the ODI series against England.
This will be the first captaincy assignment for Pant, who was bought by the Capitals in the 2016 IPL. He had also become the first player to be retained ahead of the 2018 mega auction.
On his new role, Pant in a statement had said, "Delhi is where I grew up, and where my IPL journey began six years ago. To lead this team one day is a dream I`ve always harboured. And today, as that dream comes true, I feel humbled. I am truly grateful, especially to our team owners, who considered me capable enough for this role. With an amazing coaching staff and a plethora of accomplished seniors around me, I can`t wait to give my absolute best for Delhi Capitals."
So with the young-wicketkeeper batsman becoming captain, who were the other cricketers who took on the captaincy role at a very young age.
1. Rishabh Pant
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Rishabh Pant, at the age of 23 will become the fifth-youngest captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He will captain a side filled with experienced players like Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Steve Smith.
2. Shreyas Iyer
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Shreyas Santosh Iyer captained Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League when he too was 23 but younger in terms of days than Pant.
Iyer was signed in the 2015 IPL by the Delhi Daredevils for 2.6 crores and had become the highest-earning uncapped player in the tournament.
On April 25, 2018, he was announced as the new captain of Delhi Daredevils after replacing Gautam Gambhir. On April 27, 2018, he became the youngest captain to lead the Delhi Daredevils team in IPL history at the age of 23 years and 142 days.
3. Suresh Raina
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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 'Chinna Thala' was signed for the Gujarat Lions after the suspension of CSK in 2016. He captained the team for the season at the age of 23.
Raina remained consistent with batting as he scored 399 runs in 15 innings. He, however, had to leave for the Netherlands in between season 9 for the birth of his first child.
4. Virat Kohli
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Current Indian skipper Virat Kohli was bought on a youth contract by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2008. By 2011, Kohli was the only player retained by the RCB.
He was made vice-captain of the team that year and also captained the team in a few matches when the regular skipper Daniel Vettori was injured.
After Vettori's retirement, Kohli was appointed as the team's captain for the 2013 season. Kohli was just 22-years-old when he was handed over the captaincy.
5. Steve Smith
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Australian cricketer Steve Smith was first bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2010 as a replacement for Jesse Ryder. In 2011, he was bought by Kochi Tuskers Kerala, but he had to have an ankle operation and was not available to play for them.
However, the very next season, Kochi Tuskers were dropped from IPL and Smith was put up for auction. He went unsold in 2012 but was later bought as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh by the Pune Warriors India.
In the auction for IPL 2014, Smith was bought by Rajasthan Royals (RR) was given the captaincy in the latter half of the 2015 season. He too was just 22-years-old when he was handed over the captain's responsibility.
He was taken into Pune Supergiants (RPS) squad after RR and CSK were banned for 2 years. He was even made the skipper after MS Dhoni was axed as captain for the 2017 season.
