Image: Rishabh Pant has opted out of captaining Delhi's Ranji Trophy team / © News18
With the Delhi team preparing for their upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra on January 23, 2025, Rishabh Pant has opted not to take the captaincy. Despite being included in the squad, Pant has stated that he doesn’t wish to lead the team, allowing Ayush Badoni to continue as captain. Pant, who is recovering from his 15-month injury layoff, will be available for selection but not in a leadership role.
Virat Kohli has also been named in the squad, but his participation depends on his availability due to a neck issue that required treatment in Sydney from the Team India physio. Kohli is expected to inform DDCA president Rohan Jaitley about his status by the evening. Although Kohli is likely to miss the first match, he could join for the second one.
Delhi’s position in the tournament is precarious, as they sit fourth in their group with 14 points from five matches. They are in a must-win situation to secure a place in the knockouts, needing victories against Saurashtra and Railways in their remaining fixtures. Pant’s last Ranji appearance was in the 2017-18 season, and Kohli had a subpar performance in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring only 190 runs in nine innings.