Uncategorized

‘Batting First?’: Rishabh Pant Hilariously Pressures Axar Patel to Change Toss Decision Before DC vs LSG IP… – Lokmat Times

Follow Us
मराठी | हिंदी
Back to Lokmattimes.com

Follow Us
मराठी | हिंदी
Back to Lokmattimes.com
By Lokmat English Desk | Published: March 24, 2025 08:23 PM2025-03-24T20:23:11+5:302025-03-24T20:32:02+5:30
Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel and Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant shared a light-hearted moment at the toss during their IPL 2025 opener at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Monday.

🚨 Toss 🚨@DelhiCapitals won the toss and elected to field against @LucknowIPL

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/aHUCFODDQL#TATAIPL | #DCvLSGpic.twitter.com/FKwFBfGGt8
Pant and Axar, former teammates at Delhi Capitals, showed their camaraderie as they met on the field. Axar flipped the coin, and Pant called heads, but it landed on tails, giving Axar the decision. As Axar announced that Delhi would bowl first, Pant jokingly interrupted, saying, “Batting first? Batting first?” before the two burst into laughter. The playful banter shows the bond they still share despite now leading opposing teams.
Pant spent nine years with Delhi Capitals before being released and acquired by Lucknow Super Giants for a record INR 27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, making him the most expensive player in league history. Under Pant’s leadership, Delhi finished top of the points table in 2021 but fell short in the qualifiers. In 2022, they narrowly missed the playoffs, finishing fifth. Pant returned as captain in 2024, but Delhi failed to progress past the league stage.
Axar Patel, a key all-rounder for Delhi over the past seven seasons, is leading the Capitals for the first time for the full season. In 150 IPL matches, he has scored 1,653 runs at a strike rate of nearly 131 and taken 123 wickets at an economy rate of 7.28. His experience with the team makes him a strong leadership choice.
Explaining his decision at the toss, Axar said Delhi wanted to avoid any risks with the possibility of dew later in the evening.
“It’s the dew factor. We don’t want to take any risk, that’s why we are bowling first,” Axar said. “I have played with Pant before. He knows me, and I know him. We know our tricks. I have played a lot for the Capitals. We have a well-balanced side.”
Pant admitted he also wanted to bowl first but remained confident in his team’s batting strength.
“I wanted to bowl first, but it’s a good wicket, so we can bat well and put up a good score,” Pant said. “I have played for DC all my life, so a lot of emotions are there. Preparations have been good. Everyone is in the right shape and frame of mind.”
Delhi Capitals Playing XI: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel (w), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar.
Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant (w/c), David Miller, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi.
 
FOLLOW US :
Copyright ©2025 Lokmat Media Pvt Ltd

source

Share this content:

Related Posts

Post Comment

You May Have Missed