Delhi Capitals will kick-start their IPL 2023 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. Led by Australia star batter David Warner in the absence of Rishabh Pant, Delhi Capitals will look for a winning start with the likes of Mitchell Marsh, Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel, and others in their squad. It will be interesting to see what will be the team’s Playing XI for the campaign opener will look like.
Ahead of their first game of the season, here’s what we think could be DC’s playing XI against LSG:
David Warner: A lethal opening batter, who started his IPL career with Delhi before moving Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014, came to DC in 2022. This time he will be leading the pack in the absence of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Warner will definitely look to leave a mark this season, not only with his bat but also with his leadership skills.
Prithvi Shaw: The 23-year-old batter smashed 283 runs in 10 matches last season, laced with two half-centuries. Known for his aggressive style of batting, Shaw is a perfect opening option for DC along with Warner, who can provide an exceptional start to the innings.
Mitchell Marsh: The Australia batter recently made headlines with his heroics in the recently concluded ODI series against India, where he smashed 66* off 36 balls and helped his side beat the hosts by 10 wickets. Mitchell will aim for a rocking start to his IPL campaign against LSG.
Philip Salt/Rilee Rossouw: In the absence of Pant, Philip Salt should be best option to hold the big gloves. The English batter can also provide a strong base to the batting line-up with his blistering knocks. There are chances that management might go with Sarfaraz Khan as their wicketkeeper and choose Rilee Rossouw as their oversees batter.
Sarfaraz Khan: The right-handed batter made a lot of headlines after his heroics in the Ranji Trophy this year. Sarfaraz managed to get 91 runs in 6 matches last season and will definitely aim for a big score this year.
Rovman Powell: Known for his blistering batting performance, the newly-appointed T20I skipper of West Indies smashed 250 runs in 14 matches for DC last season. His best score was of 67* off 35 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Axar Patel: Star India all-rounder has been an integral part of DC squad for quite some time now. He not provides depth to the batting line-up but also provides variation to the spin department. His recent outing for Team India will definitely boost his confidence.
Kuldeep Yadav: The left-arm spinner was really impressive last season as he scalped 21 wickets in 14 matches, including two four wicket hauls. Just like Axar, he will also be coming to IPL 2023 after having a brilliant run in international cricket.
Khaleel Ahmed: The 26-year-old pacer scalped 16 wickets in 10 matches last season and troubled the opposition batters with his blistering speed. The management is highly likely to keep him in the Playing XI for the opening match.
Ishant Sharma: The 35-year-old pacer will be bringing in tons of experience to the DC squad and will provide a lot of the depth to the pace department.
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