Himmat Singh to lead Delhi in Ranji trophy. (Courtesy: Twitter)

Himmat Singh is set to replace Yash Dhull as Delhi captain. The decision was taken after Delhi suffered a nine-wicket loss to Puducherry at the Arun Jaitely Stadium. Himmat will lead the team against Jammu & Kashmir in an away match of the Ranji Trophy 2023-24, starting from January 12.

“Yash is a talented player but is out of form. We wanted him to do well as a batter, that is why we have relieved him of captaincy duties. Himmat is our senior player and has done very well for us. He will captain the side,” Delhi and District Cricket Association joint secretary Rajan Manchanda told PTI after Puducherry bowled Delhi out for 148 and 145 on their way to a nine-wicket win. Dhull scored 2 and 23 in the match.

Himmat has the experience of leading Delhi, as he did so against Mumbai in the last season, guiding his state team to victory. Himmat, six years older than Dhull, has an average of 39.13 in 22 first-class matches. He averaged 45.25 in the last season and will have his task cut out to lead Delhi to a successful campaign.

Dhull, the U-19 World Cup-winning captain,  was named the state captain in December 2022. He scored a century on his captaincy debut. Since then, he has accumulated 1185 runs at an average of 43.88 in 17 matches. However, his form is concerning in the Ranji Trophy as he averaged only 27 in the last season.

Delhi has lifted the Ranji Trophy seven times. Their last triumph was in 2007-08.