Delhi Capitals, formerly known as Delhi Daredevils, are without the services of Rishabh Pant for IPL 2023. Hence, the franchise recently announced that David Warner will lead the squad. Axar Patel will be the Aussie’s deputy. However, it is not the first time that an Australian has led the franchise. Here, we take a look at two Australians who have led Delhi Capitals in the past.
1) David Warner – IPL 2013 (2 Games)
The upcoming season will mark David Warner’s second captaincy stint with the Delhi-based outfit. It was way back in 2011 that Warner last captained the franchise. Unfortunately, Delhi lost both the games under Warner’s captaincy.
Warner will be crucial to DC’s hopes in IPL 2023. Pant is a massive absence because he held the batting order together and was a fine option behind the stumps. Now, Warner has to do with the lack of an experienced domestic left-hander in the middle order and a new option behind the stumps. The likes of Mitchell Marsh have also played very less cricket in recent times. The bowling unit of the franchise wears a fresh look with Shardul Thakur moving to KKR. Hence, the likes of Mukesh Kumar, Chetan Sakariya and K Khaleel Ahmed have to step up if the team has to do well.
2) James Hopes – IPL 2011 (3 Games)
James Hopes is one of the Australians who have led Delhi Capitals in the past. Not many know that James Hopes has actually captained in the IPL. For a player who was not very popular and did not have a great IPL career, this is surprising.
However, in 2011, Virender Sehwag was injured and Delhi needed someone to step in. James Hopes had plenty of experience and seemed the right fit for the job. He skippered the team for three matches and was able to help the team win just one encounter.
