5 captaincy options for Delhi Capitals (DC) if Shreyas Iyer is ruled out of IPL 2021

Delhi Capitals' (DC) captain Shreyas Iyer's participation in the IPL 2021 is doubtful after he partially dislocated his left shoulder during the first India v England ODI in Pune.

The 26-year-old dived full-stretch at extra cover to stop a boundary in the 8th over of England's chase and injured his shoulder in the process. He went down on the ground and was seen grimacing in pain.

Such injuries usually take a few weeks for a full recovery and sometimes even demand surgery.

Shreyas Iyer's injury has already got the Delhi Capitals sweating and they might have to explore a few captaincy options if their full-time skipper is ruled out, in part or full, of IPL 2021.

Here are five alternatives captaincy options for Delhi Capitals (DC)

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#5 Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane is one of the obvious choices to be the stand-in skipper for the Delhi Capitals. The Mumbai cricketer has experience leading IPL teams and is also the vice-captain of the Indian Test team.

Rahane made great use of his resources and came out as a brilliant strategist during India's 2-1 Test series win over Australia down under.

Rahane is well-known for his calmness and composure. He has captained the Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiant in 25 IPL games, winning nine of them.

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#4 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin is another interesting option to lead the side. The off-spinner has a better winning record in the IPL than Ajinkya Rahane and is a great thinker of the game.

Ashwin led the Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) to 12 wins in 28 matches. With his captaincy, the Test veteran might bring some out-of-the-box ideas onto the table for the Delhi Capitals this season.

#3 Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant

Although many might disagree, Rishabh Pant could be an appealing option to be the stand-in skipper for the Delhi Capitals (DC). The youngster, still in the early days of his career, has proved to be a good observer of the game.

Giving him the additional responsibility might help him deliver more consistently with the bat in T20 cricket. Standing behind the stumps, he can guide his bowlers and fielders effectively.

Even though he has no prior IPL captaincy experience, the Delhi Capitals can give this option a try. He led the Delhi state team to the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy.

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#2 Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw has proven his worth as a captain right from his early days. He led India's U19 team to the U19 World Cup title and is as cool as a cucumber while under pressure.

The 21-year-old demonstrated his mettle once again during this year's Vijay Hazare Trophy by leading a young Mumbai side to the title. If he can deliver consistently with the bat, he could be one of the top preferences to take up the captaincy in Iyer's absence.

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#1 Steve Smith

Steve Smith and Shreyas Iyer

The best captaincy option that the Delhi Capitals have got, without a doubt, is Steve Smith. He is an experienced campaigner and has led the Australian cricket team in the past.

He has a brilliant record as an IPL captain. In 2017, Smith led the Rising Pune Supergiant to 10 wins in 15 games. The team finished as the runners-up under him.

He captained the Rajasthan Royals in 27 matches and won 15 of those games. If they don't mind having an overseas captain, the Delhi Capitals shouldn't look beyond Steve Smith.