Home
Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting has announced Axar Patel as their stand-in captain for the clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Patel will become DC’s 14th captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 history. The news was confirmed in the pre-match press conference.
Rishabh Pant faced a one-match suspension for maintaining slow over rate against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in addition to the Rs 30 lakh fine.
"Axar Patel will be our captain tomorrow. He's obviously been the vice-captain of the franchise for the last couple of seasons. Very experienced IPL player, a very experienced international player. Very sensible guy, understands the game very well. He's really excited about it, to be honest," Ponting said.
David Warner seemed to be the automatic choice to lead DC as he filled in for Pant in the previous season. However, the Australian opener has missed a few games due to injury. Shai Hope was another option as he is leading West Indies in ODIs currently. However, Patel was the vice-captain of the side and became the automatic choice to lead the side.
"We started talking about it a couple of days ago about the possibility that Rishabh (Pant) might be banned. He's got his head around it. We have done our bowlers meetings today, he'll catch up with all the guys tonight, go through all the plans and make sure he's ready to lead the team tomorrow," he added.
Crucial clash for Delhi Capitals
It is a must win clash for DC against an in-form RCB who have registered four wins in a row. DC are fifth on the points table with six wins and as many losses from 12 games. A win will help DC occupy the fourth spot and push Chennai Super Kings down on the table. However, a loss will put their playoff hopes in jeopardy.
Who will keep wickets for Delhi Capitals?
In Pant's absence, 21-year-old Abishek Porel is likely to keep the wickets. He contributed with a 65-run knock in the previous game opening the innings alongside Jake Fraser-McGurk. Porel has scored 267 runs from 12 games at an average of 33.38 and a strike rate of 157.99.
Who will replace Pant in playing XI?
In Pant's absence, stand-in skipper Patel may get promoted up the order. He batted at no.3 against Gujarat Titans (GT) last month and scored 66 runs from 43 balls. DC may include Prithvi Shaw, Kumar Kushagra, Richky Bhui or Sumit Kumar in the side to bolster the batting order.
Pant's numbers in IPL 2024
He is DC's leading run-scorer in the season. The wicketkeeper-batter has scored 413 runs from 12 games at an average of 41.30 including three half-centuries. His strike rate is 156.44.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
