Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are ready to engage in a thrilling IPL 2025 encounter at Visakhapatnam’s Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Sunday, March 30. The limelight will be on KL Rahul, who will be returning to the playing XI for the first time after sitting out DC’s first match because of personal issues.
KL Rahul Set For Middle-Order Role In DC’s Lineup
Rahul, who had just welcomed the arrival of his daughter, missed DC’s opening game of the season. But team management has indicated that he is set to play in the next match, and vice-captain Vipraj Nigam hinted as much in a soft way in a pre-match press conference.
Interestingly, Rahul will most likely play a different role for Delhi this year. Rather than batting at the top, the seasoned right-hander will fit into the No. 4 spot, in place of Sameer Rizvi, who fared poorly in the last game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). This batting change may bring stability to DC’s middle order and free up other attacking batter to make the most of the powerplay.
Injury Worry For Mukesh Kumar, Natarajan Comes In His Place
Although KL Rahul’s comeback is a silver lining for DC, the side is facing a possible setback to their bowling lineup. Pacer Mukesh Kumar had a scare in the previous game against LSG, which has raised questions about his fitness for the next match. In case Mukesh is ruled out, left-arm seamer T. Natarajan will take his place in the playing eleven.
Natarajan’s addition would be a turning point, as he can bowl precise yorkers in the death overs. His experience in do-or-die situations could provide DC with the upper hand over a formidable SRH batting unit.
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Delhi Capitals Predicted Playing XI
Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (c), Abishek Porel (wk), Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Vipraj Nigam.
Impact Player: T. Natarajan/Mukesh Kumar
