NEW DELHI: Rishabh PantThe return of Delhi Capitals was one of the biggest moves ahead of the new season of IPL 2027, and DC captain Axar Patel has already made it clear that the goalie striker will have complete freedom when he rejoins the franchise.Pant returned to the Delhi Capitals in a high-profile trade that was completed on Tuesday. That move Pant returned to his former franchise for 15 crore rupees, while the spinners Kuldeep Yadav moved to Lucknow Super Giants. Pant joined LSG for a record Rs 27 crore ahead of the 2025 IPL but endured two disappointing seasons with the franchise.In a video shared by Delhi Capitals, Axar spoke about his relationship with Pant and emphasized that there will be no added pressure on the former DC captain.“Bas mujhe itna pata hai ki narrow full freedom milegi as 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 karna hai. Hum hamesha mutual understanding ke saath kaam karte the (All I know is that he will have complete freedom from me as captain. Our relationship was never that of captain and player. When he was here, he was both my captain and led me at the time. It was never the case that I was the captain and he had to do exactly what I said. We always worked with mutual understanding,” Axar said.Axar said both players understand each other’s roles 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 (about what he can do and what he can’t do in a certain situation),” he said.Pant returns to the team in which he played 111 matches from 2016 to 2024. He also captained 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 special from the star.“Aur as a friend and captain, main 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 a captain, I would just like to tell him that there is no extra pressure on him. Neither from my side nor 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 was tough. LSG finished seventh in IPL 2025 before finishing bottom of the table in IPL 2026 under his leadership. With the bat, Pant scored 269 runs in 2025 and followed it up with 312 runs and one half-century in 2026.Despite this, Axar supported Pant’s quality and reminded him that class never goes away.“To mujhe usko zyada kuch kehne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Bas mujhe itna pata hai ki usko meri taraf se captain ke roop mein poori freedom milegi. Bas khud ko enjoy karo. Tumhara jo natural character aur style hai, narrowly enjoy karo. Form aur baaki cheezein temporary hoti hain, lekin class permanent hoti hai. Aur tum us category ke player ho. Hamari taraf se tumhe poori freedom hai. Bas apna igra khelo aur enjoy karo. Yahi mera uske liye message rahega (So I don’t really have to tell him much. All I know is that he will have complete freedom from me as captain. Just enjoy it. Enjoy playing in a way that comes naturally to you. Form and everything else is transient, but class is permanent. And you are such a player. From our side you have complete freedom. Just play your game and enjoy. “That would be my message to him,” Axar said.
