Delhi Capitals Captain: David Warner to lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023 in absence of Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel appointed as deputy

Delhi Capitals Captain – David Warner to lead, Pant replacement announced for IPL 2023: David Warner will captain Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 2023. With Rishabh Pant out of action due to injury, Warner will temporarily take over the mantle for the season. An official announcement on the same has been made on Thursday. Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly also confirmed that a decision on Pant’s replacement will be taken after the DC training camp. Follow IPL 2023 LIVE Updates on Insidesport.IN

David Warner 👉🏼 (𝗖)
Axar Patel 👉🏼 (𝗩𝗖)

All set to roar loud this #IPL2023 under the leadership of these two dynamic southpaws 🐯#YehHaiNayiDilli | @davidwarner31 @akshar2026 pic.twitter.com/5VfgyefjdH

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 16, 2023

Also Read: Rishabh Pant Health Update: WATCH Rishabh Pant takes baby steps towards recovery, India star walks under water as rehabilitation continues – Check out

Delhi Capitals Captain: David Warner to lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023 in absence of Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel appointed as deputy – Follow LIVE Updates

As per ESPNCricinfo, David Warner will lead the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023 with Rishabh Pant ruled out of action. Warner taking up interim captaincy was reported as early as January, but it is believed that Ricky Ponting and the team management finally made the decision with little over 2 weeks left for the tournament. Axar Patel, who is highly rated in the Delhi Capitals, was also considered for the post.

The all-rounder was one of the four players retained by the franchise in the mega auction and was vice-captain to Pant in 2022. Patel is set to continue as vice-captain for the franchise this season as well.

Warner has previously led Delhi in two matches in his first stint. He has since played for Sunrisers, where he captained the side to their only IPL title in 2016. The Australian now returned to Delhi Capitals in 2022, with the franchise splurging Rs 6.25 crore on him. He repaid the faith, leading the team’s scoring charts with 432 runs and five half-centuries.

The 36-year-old Australian is the joint-fifth most successful captain in IPL history. He has led in 69 games in the tournament, winning 35 of those. He is among the 6 captains to have lifted the IPL trophy at least once. Captaincy has never been a burden on his batting in the tournament, scoring 2840 runs at an average of 47.33. Overall, he is the leading overseas run-getter in league history.

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Delhi Capitals Captain: Fit-again David Warner to lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023, Sourav Ganguly confirms call on Rishabh Pant replacement after training camp – Follow LIVE Updates

While Warner takes over the captaincy, Delhi Capitals are yet to decide on Pant’s replacement behind the stumps. Barring Pant, only Phil Salt is a recognised keeper in the lineup. Playing the Englishman would disrupt DC’s overseas combination marking a conundrum for Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly.

Speaking on the sidelines of the training camp, Sourav Ganguly confirmed that the franchise were still undecided on Pant’s replacement.

He said, “The domestic players are training and the international players will join us by March 25-26. We have not decided on Pant’s replacement yet. A decision will be taken after the training camp.”

Warner could be an interesting option to keep wickets. He was an emergency backup for Australia during the T20 World Cup. However, it is unlikely that the Australian does take it up in the IPL, alongside captaincy. Sarfaraz Khan has kept wickets in domestic T20 leagues and could be the first choice.

The IPL 2023 season kicks off on March 31. Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals play their first game of the season against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1 in Lucknow.