The ongoing 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed several Indian players leading the different franchises.
Out of 10 teams, eight are being led by Indian talents, in the form of Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians), KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants), Hardik Pandya (Gujarat Titans), Mayank Agarwal (Punjab Kings), Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals), Shreyas Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders), Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals), and Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings).
The remaining two sides – Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – are captained by Faf du Plessis and Kane Willaimson, respectively. But who has been the most impressive leader so far in the fifteenth season is the red-hot question these days.
Well, former England captain Michael Vaughan has picked one name that, according to the Englishman, has been remarkable. Vaughan has gone with DC captain Pant, stating he has been impressed with the calmness of the 24-year-old star in the world’s toughest T20 tournament.
“That opening combination is such a key part of the Delhi method, Prithvi Shaw and David Warner coming out and opening aggressively. And then the skipper himself, who is settling into the job quite nicely. I have been impressed by Rishabh’s captaincy, he has been a lot calmer than I thought he would be. I thought he would be a bit excited but really impressed by his calmness,” said Vaughan, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
In the recently-concluded match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Pant’s exceptional captaincy was again on display as he used his bowlers quite nicely to bundle out PBKS on their lowest total (115) in the fifteenth season.
In response, DC openers – Prithvi Shaw and David Warner – put up a dominating show, adding 81 runs in the first six overs to record the highest powerplay totals in IPL 2022. The Capitals eventually chased down the paltry target in 10.3 overs with nine wickets in hand.