Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar questioned Delhi Capitals’ utilisation of Sameer Rizvi in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of the clash against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday, April 8, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Rizvi, who has slammed two consecutive half-centuries this season, has been used as an Impact Player. However, Bangar believes that the Capitals could contemplate bringing him directly into the playing XI and keep out Nitish Rana, who hasn’t had a memorable start to his time in the Axar Patel-led team.
“The best part about his batting is that he is not in a hurry to start. Even in a T20 format, he has shown that there is more time than you think there is. In both the games he has played, he has taken time in the first 10 balls. He has been brought in as an Impact Sub,” the former India all-rounder said.
“Now, whether the DC management thinks of him in a different fashion because Nitish Rana has not scored runs in the first two matches, and even if there are some good starts that DC get, do you still leave out a player in such good form?” he added.
Bangar also praised Rizvi’s ability to take the attack to the spinners. The former also mentioned how the 22-year-old tries to aim for the straight boundaries instead of hitting across the line against the tweakers.
“That is a question that DC will have to answer. Take a call about that. At least consider having him in the playing XI. The way he starts, the way he targets those straighter boundaries, against spin, he is targeting long-off and long-on, and he is not afraid to go down the track and attack the spinners, which not many batters in the modern era prefer to do,” he observed.]
In two matches, Rizvi has amassed 160 runs at an average of 160 and a strike rate of 163.27. He will look to continue his purple patch on Wednesday.
