Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel won the toss and chose to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL clash on Wednesday, banking on early assistance from a fresh pitch. With both teams fielding strong XIs, the contest promises a balanced battle between bat and ball. However, a notable omission was Arjun Tendulkar, who found no place in either the playing XI or the bench. The son of Sachin Tendulkar had been traded to LSG ahead of the mini auction but remains on the sidelines.
Axar explained the decision of bowling first, adding, “We will bowl first. First match, fresh wicket, it’s a red solid wicket and might help in the first 6 overs. Data says a lot of matches are won by the team batting first, but we thought it’s the first game and we will bowl.” He also confirmed Delhi’s overseas combination, adding, “Nissanka, Miller, Stubbs and Lungi Ngidi, our four overseas players.”Delhi Capitals’ playing XI features KL Rahul behind the stumps, alongside Pathum Nissanka and Nitish Rana at the top. Axar leads the side with all-round responsibilities, supported by power-hitters David Miller and Tristan Stubbs in the middle order. Their bowling attack includes Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar and Ngidi, giving them variety across pace and spin.Lucknow Super Giants, led by Rishabh Pant, opted for a strong overseas core featuring Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Anrich Nortje. Pant, who is also keeping wickets, sounded confident ahead of the match. “I think it doesn’t matter here on a wicket like this… I think it’s a completely new energy for sure. You know, we have changed our color, logo, and definitely the mindset.”Reflecting on last season’s struggles, he added, “We’re gonna like take learning from the last season, but I think the bowlers are really fit and ready again… everyone is willing to go on the field and just make an impact.”
LSG vs DC Playing XI
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohsin Khan, Mohammed Shami, Anrich Nortje, Prince YadavLucknow Super Giants Impact subs: Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akshat RaghuvanshiDelhi Capitals (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh KumarDelhi Capitals Impact subs: Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Sameer Rizvi, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair
