Axar Patel didn’t waste time making a call. On a steamy afternoon in Lucknow the Delhi Capitals skipper won the flip – the first visiting captain to do so this IPL season – and asked Lucknow Super Giants to bat. “There should be a little nip up top on this red soil,” he told the host broadcaster, sounding more hopeful than bullish.
Delhi’s XI has a fresh feel. Pathum Nissanka, David Miller – in these parts with LSG only last year – and Lungi Ngidi join Axar as the four overseas picks, while local left-hander Nitish Rana finally turns out for his home franchise. Jammu & Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi sits on the impact bench, so unless the surface flattens dramatically he may have to wait.
LSG, by contrast, hand a debut to former Delhi quick Anrich Nortje. He partners Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav in a pace quartet that rather pointedly leaves out Mayank Yadav. Head coach Justin Langer had said on Monday the tearaway was fit; today he simply couldn’t find a place for him.
There is, however, a maiden IPL appearance for Rajasthan keeper-batter Mukul Choudhary. Langer rates him highly, calling him the “scariest No. 6 or No. 7 batter in India”. The mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi lurks on the LSG bench and could yet play if the pitch grips.
Playing XIs
Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohsin Khan, Mohammed Shami, Anrich Nortje, Prince Yadav. Impact subs: Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akshat Raghuvanshi.
Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Vipraj Nigam, Axar Patel (capt), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar. Impact subs: Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Sameer Rizvi, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair.
Early overs should tell us if Axar’s read of the surface was on the money. Either way, with two new-look line-ups and the usual Ekana parched afternoon, the season has its first proper tactical battle on its hands.
