Delhi Capitals appoint David Warner their captain after Rishabh Pant’s injuries in car crash

As per reports, head coach Ricky Ponting and management agreed that Warner is the best man amongst other contenders to handle the leadership role in the absence of Pant.

Delhi Capitals appoint David Warner their captain after Rishabh Pant’s injuries in car crash

David Warner; Rishabh Pant

David Warner is handed the role of Delhi Capitals‘ interim captain for the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Axar Patel, who was the vice-captain last season, will continue to play the role this year also.

DC had to search for a new captain because last year on December 30, Rishabh Pant picked up several injuries after surviving a car crash. He was made the captain in 2021 after regular captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the entire series due to an injury. Later, Shreyas Iyer was roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2022 season and Pant was retained as DC’s skipper that year. Though it was a huge blow for the Capitals after Pant’s accident, they already had a player who can wear the leader’s cap.

As per reports, head coach Ricky Ponting and management agreed that Warner is the best man amongst other contenders to handle the leadership role in the absence of Pant. Warner was the leading run-scorer for the Capitals in IPL 2022, accumulating 432 runs at a strike rate of 150.52, including five half-centuries.

“Rishabh has been a terrific leader for Delhi Capitals, and we’re all going to miss having him around. I would like to thank the management for the faith and trust they’ve always shown in me,” Warner was quoted as saying by the DC’ official website.

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David Warner captained SRH to IPL trophy in 2016

Delhi Capitals appoint David Warner their captain after Rishabh Pant's injuries in car crash
David Warner

Warner won’t be captaining an IPL side for the first time. He led Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 and even took them to their first title by beating Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final. It was SRH’s first-ever title in the cash-rich league.

Warner’s slump in form was the reason SRH parted ways with the former Aussie vice-captain ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. And in the auction, DC signed him in for INR 6.25 crore. He also led the Capitals a couple of times last year.

As a captain, Warner has the fifth-best captaincy record. He led a side in 69 matches, winning 35, losing 32, and tieing two matches.

Warner did not find his batting affected by the captaincy load. He amassed 2840 runs at an average of 47.33 and a strike rate of 142.28 with one century and 26 fifties.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals had a mediocre campaign last year. They managed seven wins and the same number of defeats in 14 matches and ended up fifth on the points table. They will start their campaign this season against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

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