The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is scheduled to begin on March 31, and as fans wait for the return of arguably the world’s biggest T20 league, many will be excited to see Delhi Capitals back in action once again.
Like many other teams, Delhi Capitals also boast of a fabulous line-up. However, they will be missing the services of skipper Rishabh Pant, who will miss the entirety of the tournament as he was involved in a horrific accident in December 2022, which has put him out of contention for most of 2023.
David Warner has been named as the replacement skipper in Pant’s absence, and the veteran Australian opener will look to lead from the front. DC had a disappointing campaign in 2022, as they barely missed out on the playoffs after finishing fifth on the IPL points table with 14 points in 14 games.
Batting-wise, DC will look to depend on the services of skipper David Warner and Prithvi Shaw to provide them with a solid start up front. Manish Pandey and Rilee Rossouw will be key players for the Delhi-based side, and through these acquisitions, the team has put together quite a strong line-up as far as batting is concerned.
However, it is the bowling attack of DC that gives them a domineering look. With the likes of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Lalit Yadav, the team has a good spin attack. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel have been in superb form recently, and the franchise will hope that they continue their form in the forthcoming tournament.
Apart from the spin attack, DC also have a plethora of talent in the pace department as well. The likes of Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, and many more will bolster the line-up of the team.
Despite having a strong line-up, the team has a major void to fill in regular skipper Rishabh Pant’s absence. The 25-year-old has played 98 IPL matches so far, and has accumulated 2838 runs to his name.
It could be interesting to see how Delhi fare without the wicketkeeper’s leadership. In their first game of the tournament, Delhi Capitals will take on the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday, April 1.
