DC Captain: Delhi Capitals names David Warner Captain & Axar Patel vice-captain for IPL 2023. Check details

David Warner, the Australian cricketer and one of the legends of the Indian Premier League (IPL), will lead Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 2023 season. Indian all-rounder Axar Patel has been appointed as his deputy.

Warner started his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils (Now Delhi Capitals) in 2009 and played for them until 2013 before moving to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) where he had his best stint, leading them to their only IPL title in 2016. After being released by SRH ahead of the IPL 2022 auctions, Warner was purchased by Delhi Capitals for INR 6 Crores and played for them in the 2022 IPL. He scored 432 runs in just 12 innings at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 150.52. Warner was the obvious choice to lead the team in the absence of regular skipper Rishabh Pant.

DC Captain David Warner

Warner’s appointment as captain of Delhi Capitals comes as no surprise, given his exceptional record in the IPL. He has scored over 5,500 runs in the tournament, including four centuries and 50 half-centuries, at an impressive average of 42.22 and a strike rate of 142.39. His leadership skills were also on display during his stint with SRH, where he led the team to the title in 2016 and took them to the playoffs multiple times.

Axar Patel, who has been appointed as the deputy captain, is also an experienced player in the IPL. He has played for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Delhi Capitals, and has taken 80 wickets in 96 matches at an economy rate of 7.66. He has also been handy with the bat, scoring 672 runs at an average of 19.2 and a strike rate of 135.26.

No Rishabh Pant in IPL 2023

The original DC captain Pant, who was the original captain of Delhi Capitals, won’t be playing in IPL 2023. He was involved in a serious road accident in December 2022 while travelling from New Delhi to his hometown Roorkee. Though he survived the accident, multiple injuries will keep him out of action for almost six months, including the IPL. The team hopes that Pant will recover soon and return to playing for India.