Who will replace suspended Rishabh Pant as DC captain? Delhi Capitals name new captain ahead of RCB game

Fifth-placed Delhi Capitals (DC) will face in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a crucial match for playoff qualification for the 2024 IPL season. The match is scheduled to be played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday evening

Coming into the game on Sunday, DC will be without arguably their best IPL player this season, captain Rishabh Pant. The DC wicket-keeper has been in sensational form for his side since his return to cricket following his unfortunate accident in December 2022 but is suspended for the competitive match against RCB.

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Why was Pant suspended?

The DC captain and the team were found guilty of violating the IPL code of conduct for maintaining a slow over rate during their win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

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This was the third time DC violated the Code of Conduct this season. As a result, Pant was given a one-match ban as captain of the team. He was also fined INR 30,000 while the rest of the team along with the batting player were fined INR 12,000.

DC appealed the decision citing a number of reasons for the delay, including the time delay during the controversial dismissal of RR captain Sanju Samson and the fact that RR hit 13 sixes in their innings. However, their appeal was dismissed and Pant remained suspended for the match.

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Who will be the DC captain against RCB?

Speaking to the press before the match, DC head coach Ricky Ponting revealed that vice-captain Axar Patel will take charge of the 2020 finalists’ crucial match against RCB on Sunday evening.

Axar Patel will be our captain tomorrow. Obviously, he has been the vice-captain of this franchise for the last few seasons. Obviously a very experienced IPL player, an experienced international player, a very sensible guy who understands the game really well. He’s really excited, to be honest. We started talking about it a few days ago when there was a possibility that Rishabh could be banned, so he is aware of it and we had our bowlers’ meeting today. He will meet all the guys tonight, go over all the plans and make sure he is ready to lead the team well tomorrow. What I know about him is that you just have to watch how he plays his cricket to understand that he is a sensible guy who is always committed and in tune with the game, so I’m sure he is Leading the team will be really good tomorrow.

After the game against RCB, DC will face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the last league game of the season. The Capitals must win both games to qualify for the playoffs.