3 reasons why DC need to worry for Rishabh Pant's absence in RCB-DC clash

Delhi Capitals (DC) will be locking horns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the must-win and all-important Indian Premier League (IPL) 62nd game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The match is going to be a do-or-die for both teams as both teams will be eyeing their ‘playoff qualification’ with this win in the 62nd match of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Delhi faced a big blow after their regular skipper Rishabh Pant got banned for a match and INR 30 lakhs due to the slow-over rate during the match against Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

With that said, here we’ll have a look at the 3 reasons why DC need to worry about Rishabh Pant’s absence in RCB vs DC clash.

Here’s a look at 3 reasons DC need to worry about Rishabh Pant’s absence:

A Sudden captaincy change might affect the balance

Rishabh Pant has been leading the Delhi Capitals in the ongoing IPL 2024 since the start of the tournament. Being a regular skipper, he is well aware of every player’s strengths and weaknesses and how to utilize them in pressure situations when the situation demands.

But the stand-in skipper or Rishabh Pant’s replacement might not be aware of the mindset of all the players. So, it might have an impact on the team’s balance due to the sudden change in captaincy.

Rishabh Pant as a batter is key to Delhi’s Success

Rishabh Pant has been one of the most consistent performers with the bat for Delhi Capitals in the current season of the tournament. He is also the leading run-scorer for his team in the tournament. Pant has scored 413 runs in 12 innings, with 2 not-outs, having an average of 41.30 and a strike rate of 156.43, hitting 3 half-centuries.

So, the absence of Rishabh Pant might have a direct impact on DC’s batting, especially at the top of the batting order, the team might feel the lack of an in-form batter who accelerates the scoring rate.

Finding a similar replacement for Rishabh Pant in the XI is difficult

Not only ‘as a batter’ but Rishabh Pant has been very impactful for DC ‘as a wicketkeeper’ as well so far in the tournament. His wicketkeeping has also played a vital role for his side in a couple of matches in the ongoing IPL 2024 so far.

So, it will be a very tough task for management to find a perfect replacement for Rishabh Pant both ‘as a batter’ and ‘as a wicketkeeper’.