IPL 2021: 5 Players who can lead Delhi Capitals (DC) in Shreyas Iyer's absence

Shreyas Iyer has been one of the top players in the IPL for some time now. Hence, when the captaincy of the Delhi franchise came to him in the middle of the 2018 season, he responded by performing quite well with the bat and also showed his capabilities as a skipper. 

In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, he could have led the franchise for the entire season and the results were much better than anything that Delhi had produced between 2013 and 2018. Under his leadership, Delhi entered the playoffs for the first time in 2019 since the 2012 season. They ended up being the third-ranked side in that tournament. Also, the franchise managed to qualify for the final for the first time in 2020. 

In the latest turn of events, it has been revealed that Shreyas Iyer will miss the last two matches of the ongoing ODI series against England. The reports also stated that he might be sidelined for the entire IPL 2021 owing to his shoulder dislocation. Here is a look at-

5 players who can lead DC in Shreyas Iyer’s absence in IPL 2021

1. Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane’s white-ball career seems to have taken a short dip. The Mumbai batsman plays as a specialist batter in Tests and hasn’t been around the ODI or T20I squad for some time. His IPL career has also faced a dip since his move to Delhi Capitals last season. The right-handed batsman played only nine matches in 2020. 

After having a mediocre IPL 2020, the right-hander travelled to Australia where he led the Indian team to a historic Test series win in Australia in the absence of Virat Kohli. With that series win, he proved once again how invaluable he can be as a leader. His captaincy stint with Rajasthan Royals had also yielded positive results and helped them finish in the top four in the 2018 season. 

Considering all these points, it does seem that Rahane would be the ideal pick as a captain in the Delhi Capitals line-up. Add to the fact that Rahane was a part of the XI which played the final of the 2020 season. His experience will only enhance Delhi’s unit which consists of some top-quality players.