IPL 2021 Playoffs | Rishabh Pant has to play with freedom against KKR, says Brian Lara

The Delhi Capitals will lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Qualifier 2 on Wednesday in Sharjah. In their previous fixture, DC lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first Qualifier, as the MS Dhoni-led side marched to the finals of IPL 2021. The Delhi-based franchise will be eyeing their second consecutive IPL final by defeating the Eoin Morgan-led side, who inched past the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Eliminator on Monday.

"My advice to Rishabh Pant is to play with freedom, have that air of arrogance and confidence - that he does when he’s at his best like he did in that last game against CSK, those one-handed sixes. He’s absolutely crazy, the skills that he’s got, and for me, the advice would be to go out and have that confidence," Lara said on Star Sports.

"Don’t allow the situations and the leadership role dictate how you play. You go out and play with freedom - take the game on. If you feel that you can target a bowler, then you fully commit to it and take him on - because he is a match-winner. He can take the game away from the opposition very quickly - and everyone wants to see that, the team wants to see that and him as a leader wants to see that as well," he said.

Pant was appointed as DC's stand-in captain in the absence of an injured Shreyas Iyer during the first half of IPL 2021 in India. Even after Iyer returned to the playing squad for the second leg of the tournament, the franchise decided to stick with the wicketkeeper-batsman as their captain.