Faf du Plessis is captaining Delhi Capitals against Mumbai Indians today, in place of Axar Patel. Here's why.
Why is Axar Patel not captaining DC against MI?
As the two captains came out for the toss 30 minutes before the start of play, it was clear that there was significant news – Faf du Plessis, rather than Axar Patel, came out to the middle alongside Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya.
At the toss, which DC won, du Plessis confirmed that Axar, the regular captain was out with "a really bad flu" – before electing to field first. Seam-bowling all-rounder Madhav Tiwari has taken Axar's place, on IPL debut. It is a "second" debut of sorts for the youngster, who first played against Punjab Kings on May 7, before that match was cancelled midway through the first innings due to the India-Pakistan conflict.
Du Plessis has stepped in for Axar as Delhi's vice-captain, a designation he was given ahead of the start of this season. The 40-year-old has led in 42 IPL matches before today, winning and losing 21 each.
Today's match is a must-not-lose for DC if they are to stay alive in the race for the playoffs. A win keeps their fate in their own hands, a no result means they are still alive but dependent on other results. If they lose, the title dream is over.
Match 66, Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals
vs
MI vs DC playing XIs
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah.
Impact subs: Ashwani Kumar, Corbin Bosch, Karn Sharma, Raj Bawa, Satyanarayana Raju.
Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis (capt), Abishek Porel (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Tristan Stubbs, Dushmantha Chameera, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Kumar
Impact subs: KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Sediqullah Atal, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar.
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