‘Franchises won’t mind that at all’: Harsha Bhogle weighs in on the retention dilemma of Delhi Capitals

‘Franchises won’t mind that at all’: Harsha Bhogle weighs in on the retention dilemma of Delhi Capitals

Rishabh Pant, Harsha Bhogle and Shreyas Iyer

As the last date for announcing the retentions for Indian Premier League 2022 draws closer, speculations have surfaced over who the franchises will hold on to. As reports surface, Harsha Bhogle opened up on the dilemma’s Delhi Capitals face as they look to retain a core group for the upcoming cycle of the IPL.

The biggest question is, will the Capitals change the captain of the side going into a new season. Rishabh Pant was named the captain in Shreyas Iyer‘s absence and as he returned, the think tank chose to stick to southpaw. Will it change as they approach a new season? Harsha Bhogle termed it a clash of ambitions, that of Pant and Iyer to lead the side.

“The big retention issue before Delhi Capitals in my mind, is one of personal ambitions. The moment Delhi made a choice of one player’s ambition over the other, it meant the second Blair had to go. I am talking about Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer,” Bhogle said.

‘Then there was Rabada vs Nortje’: Harsha Bhogle feels the second leg of IPL titled scales in Nortje’s favour

Rabada and Nortje
Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje

Harsha Bhogle asserts that the moment Delhi Capitals decided to continue with Rishabh Pant as captain over Shreyas Iyer, they lost the latter. A franchise can only retain a player if he wants to continue with the franchise and reports suggest that Iyer will be up for grabs in the mega auction. Both the young guns are looking to put a strong case for the captaincy of the national team and they cannot do it playing for the same franchise.

“The following year, Shreyas Iyer is supposed to be captain but is injured. Rishabh Pant gets the job. That’s a good choice. And then when Shreyas Iyer comes back, that is when Delhi Capitals have to make the choice. The moment they said that Rishabh Pant is going to continue as captain, they knew deep within that they had lost Shreyas Iyer because Shreyas has captaincy ambitions,” he adds.

“And why not? Because he’s done a decent job. Rishabh Pant has very strong captaincy ambitions, I suspect, beyond Delhi Capitals. And so they had to make a choice left-handed attacking batsman, wicketkeeper versus someone who’s done a really good job at the moment. As I said in choosing Rishabh Pant, they lost Shreyas Iyer. There’s a lot of franchises that wouldn’t mind that at all.“

Delhi Capitals have yet another dilemma and it involves their fiery pace duo. The Capitals do not have the luxury to retain both Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. Reports suggest that have chosen Nortje over Rabada. Harsha Bhogle asserts that it was the second leg of IPL 2021 and the T20 World Cup that followed which tipped the scales in Nortje’s favour.

“Then there was Rabada vs Nortje. Till the IPL went to the UAE, I think Rabada was up above the pecking order. It’s interesting that Nortje hasn’t done too well in Indian conditions, but the combination that he offers, the extreme pace and the ability to take wickets across all phases of the game,” he adds.

“And Rabada just slipping off a little bit tilted the scales in favour of Nortje. There’s a lot of franchises lying in wait for Kagiso Rabada. Interesting choices from Delhi.“

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