Although People believes that Pant would receive a louder cheer upon his return than either MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli, it is still unclear how the wicketkeeper-batter will perform on the field following a 14-month absence. The BCCI‘s fitness and medical teams have approved Pant to keep wicket, and he will head the Delhi Capitals squad in place of David Warner, who captained the group the previous year.
The Capitals spent heavily on Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra at the December 2023 auction, paying INR 7.2 crore for him. In addition to being a powerful hitter, Kushagra could cover for Pant in goal.
Richardson (INR 4 crore) and Haryana’s all-round fast bowler Sumit Kumar (INR 1 crore), who has had a strong few months in domestic cricket, were other major purchases made by the Capitals. Additionally, Fraser-McGurk, who has drawn attention in Australia, may be released by the Capitals.
With David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, and Pant positioned at the top of the order, the Capitals have a deadly batting lineup. They’ll also be eager to take advantage of Tristan Stubbs’ and Ricky Bhui’s recent success.
Ngidi is not permitted to compete in the competition. Richardson is not a sure thing to start. After a lengthy break due to injuries, Nortje is returning. There hasn’t been much match practice for Ishant Sharma.
The fact that Fraser-McGurk, a batter, was added to the Delhi Capitals roster in place of Ngidi was unexpected given how thin their fast bowling lineup seemed to be getting by the minute. They are still lacking in the department, but they could still bring in a seamer to take Brook’s place.
Though they haven’t always performed well in the T20 circuit, Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar may bear a large portion of the fast-bowling load. The Capitals will be hoping desperately that Nortje can perform well right away.
Key New Players in DC : Tristan Stubbs, Kumar Kushagra, Jhye Richardson, Jake Fraser-McGurk
Full Squad : Rishabh Pant, David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Yash Dhull, Abishek Porel, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Vicky Ostwal, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Tristan Stubbs, Ricky Bhui, Kumar Kushagra, Rasikh Dar, Jhye Richardson, Sumit Kumar, Swastik Chikara, Shai Hope
Possible XI : Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Tristan Stubbs, Kumar Kushagra, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Anrich Nortje
