David Warner will lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023 after being appointed interim captain, replacing the injured Rishabh Pant. This is not unfamiliar territory for Warner, who previously captained the franchise between 2009 and 2013 (Delhi Daredevils at that time). Axar Patel will continue as vice–captain this season. Warner‘s previous stints with Sunrisers Hyderabad saw him take the team to a championship win in 2016 – making him one of the most successful captains ever, with 35 wins out of 69 matches. His batting form too has been impressive; 2840 runs at an average of 47.33 and a strike rate of 142.28 including one century and 26 fifties. He was bought by the Capitals in 2022 for INR 6.25 crore ($762,000 approx then) and last season scored 432 runs at an average of 48 and a healthy strike rate of 150.52 including five half–centuries. Despite this, the Capitals narrowly missed making the playoffs after a heartbreaking loss in a must–win match against Mumbai Indians. Warner‘s white ball career remains strong despite his challenging time with Australia during the Border Gavaskar Trophy – where he had to return home after being hit on the elbow by Mohammed Shami’s short delivery in Delhi, and he will look to utilize IPL experience as part of the preparation for India’s ODI World Cup in October–November.
