Rishabh Pant has been publicly persuaded by former India batsman Wasim Jaffer to decline the Delhi Capitals captaincy before to IPL 2027. Wasim Jaffer claims that Pant’s energy would be better used rebuilding his batting than taking on leadership responsibilities due to a decline in form.
After an IPL 2026 trade was finalised, Pant returned to the Delhi Capitals. He was brought back to Delhi for INR 15 crore after moving to the Lucknow Super Giants for INR 27 crore at the 2025 mega auction, the highest price paid for any player at that sale. Kuldeep Yadav made the opposite move under the same arrangement, moving to Lucknow for INR 13.50 crore.
I believe it would be best for him to decline the Delhi Capitals’ offer of captaincy. Wasim Jaffer stated on his YouTube channel, “I believe it is better for him to play as a player because his performance has come down.”
Why does Wasim Jaffer think Pant wouldn’t be a good captain at this time?
Wasim Jaffer bases his argument on the pressure Pant already experiences as a wicketkeeper-batter attempting to regain his peak form and the weight of duty that comes with managing an IPL team. Additionally, he used Pant’s aspirations to play internationally as justification for avoiding the captaincy issue.
Leading a franchise comes with a lot of pressure, including expectations from the owners, pressure from the fans, and pressure to concentrate on your own performance. In addition, he must bat and serve as a wicketkeeper. He should put that aside, in my opinion, and concentrate on becoming a successful batter and winning games for his team.
That, in my opinion, is best for Rishabh Pant. Rishabh’s top goal, in my opinion, will probably be to do well in the IPL and return to the T20I and ODI teams. Since he isn’t now in India’s leadership group, where he may become captain, captaincy won’t be his first aim, according to Wasim Jaffer.
At the team level, Pant’s two seasons at Lucknow were largely fruitless. LSG finished tenth in IPL 2026 and seventh in IPL 2025, which highlights the appeal of a new beginning that is solely batting-focused.
Who might lead the Delhi Capitals in the 2027 Indian Premier League?
According to reports from August 2026, KL Rahul has emerged as the front-runner to lead the Delhi Capitals after Pant allegedly turned down the position. With seven victories from 14 league games under Axar Patel, the team finished sixth in the 2026 Indian Premier League and missed the playoffs.
Pant’s record as captain of the Delhi Capitals from 2021 to 2024 is 24 wins from 44 games, a respectable return that did not result in a championship. Jaffer’s opinion is clear regardless of whether the team formally extends a new captaincy offer to him for IPL 2027: Pant’s most reliable path back to prominence is through consistent run-scoring, not the captain’s armband.
