Delhi Capitals, on Thursday (March 16) named veteran Australia opener David Warner as the captain and India all-rounder Axar Patel as the vice-captain for the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Warner is set to take over from Rishabh Pant, who will be unable to participate in the upcoming season due to his ongoing recovery from a serious car accident in December last year.
It was clear from the outset that Warner was a strong candidate for the role, thanks in large part to his previous success as a captain in the lucrative league, where he led Sunrisers Hyderabad to a championship victory in 2016.
The 36-year-old was removed from the captaincy of Sunrisers Hyderabad during the 2021 season, and subsequently released by the team ahead of the 2022 season. However, he was signed by Delhi Capitals for a staggering sum of INR 6.25 crore during the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Rishabh has been a terrific leader for Delhi Capitals: David Warner
Expressing his delight on being given the opportunity in the absence of Rishabh Pant, hereās what David Warner said:
āRishabh has been a terrific leader for Delhi Capitals, and weāre all going to miss having him around. I would like to thank the management for the faith and trust theyāve always shown in me. This franchise has always been home for me, and I couldnāt be more excited to lead such a supremely talented bunch of players. I canāt wait to meet them all, and get cracking.ā
Rishabh Pant is anticipated to be out of action for at least seven to eight months, making it unlikely that he will be able to participate in the upcoming 50-over World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India later this year.
Delhi Capitalsā campaign in the tournament will commence with a match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Sports City Stadium in Lucknow.
