NEW DELHI: Rishabh PantThe return of Delhi Capitals has been one of the biggest moves ahead of the new IPL 2027 season, and captain DC Axar Patel has already made it clear that the wicketkeeper-batter will have complete freedom when he rejoins the franchise.Pant returned to the Delhi Capitals in a high-profile trade completed on Tuesday. The move saw Pant return to his former franchise for Rs 15 crore, while spinner Kuldeep Yadav he moved to Lucknow Super Giants. Pant had joined LSG for a record Rs 27 crore ahead of IPL 2025, but endured two disappointing seasons with the franchise.In a video shared by Delhi Capitals, Axar spoke about his relationship with Pant and stressed that there would be no extra pressure on the former DC captain.“Bas mujhe itna pata hai ki usko full freedom milegi like a captain meri taraf se. Hamara relationship waise bhi captain aur player wala kabhi nahi raha. Jab woh yahan tha, woh mera bhi captain tha aur us waqt woh mujhe lead kar raha tha. Hamare beech kabhi aisa main captain bo raha tha. hamesha mutual understanding ke saath kaam karte the (All I know is that he will have complete freedom from my side as captain. Our relationship was never really that of a captain and a player. When I was there, it was never a case of me being the captain and him having to do exactly what I say.”Axar said both players understand each other’s role and responsibilities, having spent several years together in the franchise.“Usko bhi pata hai ki woh ek senior player hai. Mujhe bhi pata tha ki main ek senior player hoon. Hamare beech hamesha yeh mutual understanding rahi hai ki kisi bhi situation mein woh kya kar sakta hai aur kya nahi kar sakta. cannot do in a particular situation), he said.Pant returns to a team where he played 111 matches between 2016 and 2024. He also managed the Delhi Capitals from 2021 to 2024 and remains one of the franchise’s most popular players.Axar believes Delhi remains Pant’s home and said neither he nor the franchise expects anything more from the star batsman.“Aur as friend and captain, principal usko bas itna hi kehna chahunga ki us par koi extra pressure nahi hai. Na meri taraf se aur na hi franchise ki taraf se. Yeh uska ghar hai. Woh yahan pehle bhi khel chuka hai aur kaafi saalon tak khela hai. Delhi uska home hai (And as a friend and captain, I would just like to tell him that there is no extra pressure on him. Not from my side and not from the franchise. This is his home. He has played here before and spent many years with this team. Delhi is his home,” he said.Pant’s time with Lucknow Super Giants has been difficult. LSG finished seventh in IPL 2025 before finishing bottom of the table in IPL 2026 under his captaincy. With the bat, Pant scored 269 runs in 2025 and followed it up with 312 runs and a half-century in 2026.Despite this, Axar supports Pant’s quality and reminds him that class never disappears.“To mujhe usko zyada kuch kehne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Bas mujhe itna pata hai ki usko meri taraf se captainu ke roop mein poori libertad milegi. Bas khud ko gode di karo. Tumhara jo natural character aur style hai, usko gode di karo. Form aur baaki cheeseein hoti hainti, lekin permanent hoti hainti. Aur tum us category ke player ho. Hamari taraf se tumhe poor freedom hai. Bas apna game khelo aur gode di karo. Yahi mera uske liye message rahega (So I really don’t need to say much. All I know is that he will have complete freedom on my part as captain. Just enjoy it. Enjoy playing the way that comes naturally to you. Form and everything else are temporary, but class is permanent. And you are that type of player. From our side, you have complete freedom. Just play your game and have fun. That would be my message to him,” Axar said.
