Delhi Capitals were given a jolt ahead of the 14th season of the Indian Premier League as captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. 2020 IPL runners-up decided to name Rishabh Pant as their captain for the 2021 season. Pant has been in phenomenal form in the past 3-4 months as he has become a regular in the Indian cricket team and it will be interesting to see how Pant leads the Delhi Capitals side.
England batsman Sam Billings will be playing under the leadership of Pant in the upcoming edition of the league and he is excited to join up with the squad.
Billings, who was part of the Delhi franchise in IPL 2016 and IPL 2017, returned to the Delhi camp after being acquired by the side for his base price of ₹2 crore in the IPL auction in February.
The English wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 3,527 runs, taken 107 catches and effected 17 stumpings in 187 T20I matches.
“It’s great to be back at the IPL. There are a great group of players and the DC camp has been very welcoming. I am very excited to be here,” he said in a Delhi Capitals release.
Billings, who spent a considerable amount of time with Pant during his previous stint with the franchise, recounted his first-ever experience of watching Pant bat.
“I remember the first time I saw Rishabh play. We had a middle practice, and he was hitting bowlers like Chris Morris, Nathan Coulter-Nile and lot of other bowlers everywhere and then I asked Rahul Dravid (then Delhi franchise mentor), ‘Who is this guy?’ And now we all know who Rishabh Pant is and I actually said back then that he’s probably the best young player I have ever seen. We have seen what he does on a regular basis in the India shirt and also in the Delhi shirt. I am really happy for him and he will go from strength to strength,” said Billings.Delhi Capitals will take on Chennai Super Kings in their first match of the IPL 2021 season, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai on April 10.
