The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season kicks off with a high-profile clash between Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Monday. However, both teams find themselves grappling with early-season uncertainties — Delhi over the availability of KL Rahul and LSG with a depleted pace attack.
KL Rahul, who led LSG last season before switching to Delhi Capitals in the auction, is likely to miss the opener due to personal reasons. The wicketkeeper-batter is expecting his first child with his wife, Athiya Shetty, and may not be available for selection.
Delhi’s newly appointed captain Axar Patel remained non-committal when asked about Rahul’s status.
He has joined the squad, but we all know he has a personal matter to attend to. Right now, we’re not sure about his availability. If he returns, we will check with him and make a decision tomorrow morning.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Rahul, Delhi Capitals are optimistic about their prospects this season, with a revamped squad and a fresh leadership approach.
LSG’s Injury Woes
Lucknow Super Giants have been dealt a heavy blow even before their first match, losing four frontline Indian pacers—Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, and Mohsin Khan — to injuries.
While Avesh, Mayank, and Akash may return later in the tournament, Mohsin has been ruled out for the season and replaced by India all-rounder Shardul Thakur.
Unfortunately, Mohsin sustained a small calf injury during his rehab. Knowing that we already had four guys out, we had to make the tough call to rule him out for the season.
However, Langer remained hopeful about the return of Avesh and Akash Deep.
Avesh will go through his final fitness test tomorrow morning at the NCA, and if he clears it, he’ll be back sooner rather than later. Akash is up and running, bowling at about 90 per cent now. He has also completed his Yo-Yo test, so he’s ticking all the right boxes..
A New Era for Delhi and Lucknow
Both teams enter the season with new leadership. While Axar Patel has taken over as Delhi’s captain, Rishabh Pant will lead LSG, having made a high-profile switch from Delhi after being IPL’s costliest player in the auction.
Axar expressed confidence in his team’s potential.
I have been with this franchise since 2019, and it has played a major role in my growth as a cricketer. Being entrusted with the captaincy is a great honour. We have several leaders in the squad, and I continue to learn from their experience. Having players like KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis alongside me is reassuring. We have a well-balanced squad, and I’m confident we can achieve the results we aspire to.
Pant, on the other hand, is focused on reinvigorating LSG after a turbulent 2024 season.
We have a fresh squad, a new energy, and a clear goal—to play fearless cricket. Last season is behind us, and this is a new chapter. My job as captain is to back my players and create an environment where they can thrive.
Axar reiterated the importance of a clear and uncluttered approach to leadership. "I don’t want to overcomplicate things. Cricket is just a game—if you execute well, everything falls into place. I’ve told the players not to chase results but to focus on keeping things simple," he said.
Despite limited time together, the Delhi Capitals squad is eager to make an impact.
The mindset is clear—express yourself, play fearlessly, and give 100%. The team atmosphere is fantastic, and we are ready to go.
High-Scoring Contest Expected
Delhi Capitals will play their first two matches in Visakhapatnam, where high-scoring encounters are anticipated. Axar expects the pitch to produce another run-fest this season.
With both teams looking to make a strong start, the IPL 2025 opener promises to be a closely contested battle despite the early-season challenges faced by Delhi and Lucknow.
Squad Probable 11: DC: Jake Fraser McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abhishek Porel, KL Rahul (WK), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (C), Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan. Impact Player- Karun Nair; LSG : Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Shahbaz Ahamad, Shardul Thakur, Akash Deep, Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Singh: Impact Player- Abdul Samad
