Ahead of IPL 2024, beginning on March 22nd, Delhi Capitals has announced the replacement for South African seamer Lungisani Ngidi, who will miss the entire season due to injury. The Capitals have roped in Australia's hard-hitting batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, who will join the franchise for his reserve price of ₹50 lakh.
Fraser-McGurk first came into the spotlight when he shattered AB de Villiers' record of fastest List A hundred, striking one off 29 deliveries during the Marsh One-day Cup fixture in October 2023 against Tasmania. He has also done well in the Big Bash League (BBL) and made his debut for Australia in February 2024. The 21-year-old's highest of 41 came against the West Indies in Canberra.
Ngidi is, meanwhile, the 2nd player to be ruled out from the Delhi Capitals' set-up after Harry Brook withdrew after his grandmother's demise. The England batter had earlier also skipped the five-Test series in India.
Rishabh Pant to return as captain of the Delhi Capitals:
Meanwhile, the Capitals will be hugely boosted by the return of Rishabh Pant, who has been out of professional cricket for over 15 months due to an accident suffered in late 2022. The left-handed batter struck the ball quite well in the nets session, impressing assistant coach Pravin Amre.
The Capitals had a forgettable 2023 edition, managing only 5 wins out of 14 matches. Hence, they will hope to put on a better show in 2024 when they get their campaign underway on March 23rd against the Punjab Kings.
