With their campaign at a crossroads, Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel rang in the changes ahead of the PBKS vs DC clash at Dharamsala. Karun Nair was axed from the DC Playing XI, while Madhav Tiwari was handed his debut on Thursday. Sameer Rizvi was brought back into the scheme of things. Vipraj Nigam also made way to the impact substitutes bench.
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel(w), KL Rahul, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan
PBKS vs DC: Karun Nair dropped, Madhav Tiwari makes debut
Karun Nair’s poor run of form eventually cost him his place in the Delhi Capitals side for the game against the Punjab Kings on Thursday. With DC needing to win each to boost their IPL 2025 playoff chances, Axar Patel opted to ring the changes at Dharamsala. Nair had started the campaign with a stunning 89 vs Mumbai Indians, but since flattered to deceive.
Axar Patel has now put his trust in young Sameer Rizvi. Rizvi hasn’t had the best of times in his nascent IPL career, and Delhi would hope he can build on his big-hitting exploits on the big stage. In 11 IPL games, the 21-year-old has scored just 75 runs, striking at 120.96.
Two changes as we chase in Dharamsala
@allseasonswtr pic.twitter.com/tqq5z1aCaa
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 8, 2025
Vipraj Nigam’s absence, however, comes as a surprise. The 20-year-old has chipped in with valuable contributions with both bat and ball so far in IPL 2025. Vipraj chipped in with a fine cameo in the game against KKR and SRH down the order. The all-rounder has 9 wickets in 11 games at an average of 28.44. With the bat, he has 122 runs, striking at 179.41. Vipraj Nigam has hit a boundary in every four deliveries he’s faced in IPL 2025.
With Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav handling spin duties, Delhi Capitals opted to reinforce their pace bowling. Madhav Tiwari is making his debut, having impressed at the U-23 level. The medium pace bowling all-rounder starred in the Madhya Pradesh t20 League with his lower-order hitting. With Mukesh Kumar and Mohit Sharma both struggling form, the 21-year-old has been called upon to support Starc and Co.
The post Karun Nair axed, Axar Patel rings changes for crunch PBKS vs DC clash appeared first on Inside Sport India.