Rishabh Pant has been suspended by the BCCI for his third over-rate offence of the season.
Axar Patel will take on the role of captain for the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 2024 match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.
This change in leadership comes as regular captain Rishabh Pant has been suspended by the BCCI for his third over-rate offence of the season. In addition to the suspension, Pant has also been fined INR 30 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate in a previous match against the Rajasthan Royals. Despite this setback, the Delhi Capitals are confident in Patel's ability to lead the team to victory in this crucial match.
DC filed an appeal against the ruling made by the match referee. The case was subsequently escalated to the BCCI Ombudsman, who upheld the match referee's decision as final.
Confirming Axar Patel's appointment as captain for the upcoming match against RCB, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting emphasized Patel's extensive experience as an international cricketer and his deep understanding of the game.
"He (Axar) has been Vice-Captain at this franchise for the last couple of seasons. A very experienced IPL player, an experienced international player, a sensible guy, understands the game really well. He's excited about it. We started talking about it a couple of days ago when there was a possibility that Rishabh might be banned," Ponting said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
"He's got his head around it. We've done our bowlers' meetings today. He'll catch up with all the guys tonight, go through all the plans and make sure that he's ready to lead the team well tomorrow," he added.
Delhi Capitals currently hold the fifth position in the points table, having accumulated 12 points in 12 matches. Meanwhile, the hosts are enjoying a four-match winning streak.
Also read| RCB vs DC IPL 2024: Predicted playing XI, live streaming details, weather and pitch report
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