New DC captain Pant eyes maiden IPL title

After taking over as Delhi Capitals captain, Rishabh Pant says he is aiming to lead the franchise to its maiden title in IPL 2021.

Delhi Capitals finished runners up to Mumbai Indians last season, but Pant, who has been in smashing form in recent months, hopes to break DC's title jinx this IPL.

'Thank you Delhi Capitals for showing faith in me. I will give my 100 percent each and every day and hopefully we will cross the line this year,' he said in a video posted on Twitter.

The 23 year old will lead a team featuring veterans Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Steve Smith, Ishant Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, and Delhi Capitals Head Coach Ricky Ponting is convinced that the responsibility of captaincy will make swashbuckling wicket-keeper-batsman even better player in the IPL.

'Unfortunate that Shreyas will miss the tournament, but looking forward to seeing @RishabhPant17 grab his opportunity. It's well deserved for his recent performances and he's coming in with a lot of confidence. I'm convinced captaincy will make him an even better player,' Ponting tweeted.

Captaincy is a not a new role for Pant. In 2017-2018, he was appointed Delhi captain and took his team to the Ranji Trophy final.

He will be the youngest captain in the IPL this season; the oldest skipper is another dashing wicket-keeper-batsman with Uttarakhand origins. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be 40 this July 7.