IPL 2023: David Warner to captain Delhi Capitals in place of injured Rishabh Pant

Delhi: Delhi Capitals announced David Warner as their captain for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Warner steps in as skipper for Rishabh Pant, who is currently undergoing rehab and recovery from a brutal car accident in December.

“Rishabh has been a terrific leader for Delhi Capitals, and we’re all going to miss having him around. I would like to thank the management for the faith and trust they’ve always shown in me,” said Warner in a statement released by the Delhi Capitals.

“This franchise has always been home for me, and I couldn’t be more excited to lead such a supremely talented bunch of players. I can’t wait to meet them all, and get cracking!,” he added.

Pant, who has led Delhi Capitals since 2021, has been out of action since December when his SUV crashed into a road divider. He underwent knee ligament tear surgery in Mumbai and has been on the mend.

Warner is a proven talent in the IPL with 5881 runs from 162 matches across 13 seasons since 2009. He has an average of 42.01, strike rate of 140.69 and has hit four hundreds and 55 fifties.

The Aussie began his IPL career with Delhi in 2009 – then called Delhi Daredevils – and remained with the setup until 2013. He was the interim captain in a few matches in 2013, before being acquired by the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

In 2016, Warner led SRH to the IPL title as captain. He is the joint-fifth most successful captain in terms of matches won. In 69 matches as captain, Warner’s teams have won 35, lost 32 and tied two matches.

Warner returned to Delhi Capitals in 2022 after a fall-out with the SRH management following a poor run in the 2021 season. He was the leading run-scorer for DC last season, scoring 432 runs at an average of 48 and a healthy strike rate of 150.52, including five half-centuries.

The 36-year-old Warner is currently in India for Australia’s ODI leg of the tour which begins in Mumbai on Friday. He was part of the Test side too but was substituted with a concussion in the second Test. The flurry of blows led to a hairline fracture in his elbow which forced him to return home.

India all-rounder Axar Patel has been named as the vice-captain – a role he performed last year as well.

In another key personnel change announced by the JSW-GMR co-owned franchise, former India captain and BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly has been appointed the Director of Cricket. He had been in a mentor role with the team in 2019.

“I’m excited to be back with the Delhi Capitals. My association with the women’s team, and the Pretoria Capitals over the last few months has been fantastic, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming season of the IPL,” said Ganguly.

“Delhi Capitals had done well as a team during my last stint with them. I’ve already been involved with the players this time around, and I’m keen to see them as a group. Hopefully, we will all have a great time over the next couple of months,” he added.

IPL 2023 begins on 31 March with Delhi playing their first match on 1 April against Lucknow Super Giants.

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