In the absence of injured Rishabh Pant, David Warner will lead Delhi Capitals (DC) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. All-rounder Axar Patel has been made his deputy for the season. Ahead of DC’s first clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at April 1, Warner has revealed Patel’s role which will help him communicate with the players better.
"Axar will have great knowledge about all the players in the squad. He'll be in control of relaying information to the bowlers and also help me deal with the language barrier," the opener said in a statement released by the franchise.
The leading run-scorer for an overseas batter in IPL, Warner feels that the homeground advantage will be a crucial factor this season.
"You get to understand the wicket at your home ground and you've also got your fans, who give you a boost. The fans' chants in the stadium will give us great strength and belief to play at our best," the 36-year-old said.
Warner also revealed his conversation with Pant who has been ruled out of action after a horrific car accident on December 30, 2022.
“He's looking forward to supporting us as much as he can. I am sure he'll try his best to come and see us. But we want him to recover, take it slow and easy and get better as fast as he can," the southpaw said.
Warner also praised DC’s Director of Cricket and former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly as he said, "He's really relaxed and calm. I can speak to him whenever I need anything. He's been fantastic around the group and it's great to see him back."
Warner made his IPL captaincy debut for the Delhi-based franchise (Delhi Daredevils) in IPL 2013. But he had to face losses in both those games. He led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 67 games and has a win percentage of 53.73. In 2016, he also led them to the title win.
He has scored 5,668 runs from He has scored 5,668 runs from 155 innings at an average of 41.99 including four centuries and 53 half-centuries.
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