Rishabh Pant, the regular captain of the Delhi Capitals, will be unable to participate in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League due to an injury. Despite this, he is still showing his support by watching the live match on TV as the Delhi Capitals face off against the Lucknow Super Giants in their opener on April 1st.
David Warner, who is leading the franchise in Pant’s absence, expressed his well wishes for a speedy recovery during the toss against Lucknow. The absence of Pant has not deterred him from showing his support for the team, as he has taken to social media to share a story of him cheering on the Delhi Capitals from home. This gesture has been well-received by fans who love to see Pant’s passion for the franchise.
It is clear that Pant’s connection to the Delhi Capitals runs deep, and he is not one to be kept away from supporting his team, even in the face of injury.
Kyle Mayers, a West Indies batsman, made a splash on his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) by delivering an impactful innings for the Lucknow Super Giants. Filling in for the absent Quinton de Kock, Mayers took advantage of an early life and blazed his way to 73 off 38 balls, leading the team to post 193/6 against the Delhi Capitals.
Mayers’ brilliance with the bat stood in stark contrast to his captain K.L Rahul’s struggles on the pitch, as well as the difficulties faced by teammates Deepak Hooda, Marcus Stoinis, and Krunal Pandya. Despite this, Nicholas Pooran contributed 26 runs off 21 balls and Ayush Badoni smacked a couple of sixes in the final over, helping the Lucknow Super Giants reach a competitive total despite the efforts of the Delhi Capitals bowlers.
When asked to bat first on a pitch that offered both pace and spin, with seam, bounce, and turn, Lucknow got off to a cautious start and ended the Power-play at 30/1. Unfortunately, their skipper K.L Rahul fell in the fourth over after being foxed by a slower delivery from Chetan Sakariya and flicking it loosely to deep backward square leg.
Sakariya could have had Mayers too in the sixth over, but a dropped catch by Khaleel Ahmed allowed the left-hander to continue his innings. Mayers took advantage of the opportunity and went on a six-hitting spree, slamming a 38-ball 73 and propping up the Lucknow Super Giants’ innings.
