In what could be a massive setback for Delhi Capitals (DC), star batter KL Rahul is set to miss the first two games of the side in the upcoming 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). DC begins its campaign on March 24, with a game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Visakhapatnam. DC who will be led by Axar Patel, are already grappling with the loss of Harry Brook before the IPL 2025 season. The star English batter has pulled out of the tournament, citing workload.
Rahul might not be available for DC's second game also against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 30 as he is set to welcome his first child with his wife Athiya Shetty. This news was shared by Australia Women's captain Alyssa Healy. The wicketkeeper-batter, who is the spouse of pacer Mitchell Starc, revealed this news on LiSTNR Sport's YouTube channel.
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading...
"No Harry Brook, (so) it will be interesting to see who the replacement player will be. They have KL Rahul, who will probably not play the first couple of games, I think... they are awaiting the birth of (their) child, but that dynamic is really cool," she said.
Rahul was brought by DC for 14.50 Crore in mega auction after LSG let go of him. He was set to bat in the middle order for DC after his success at that role for India in the ODI format.
KL Rahul set to miss two games, DC weighs in on options
For the unversed, DC signed Lankan all-rounder Dasun Shanka as the replacement player for Brook. However, he mostly will be a backup player as DC have quality foreign core in Faf du Plessis, Starc, Tristan Stubbs and Jake Fraser-McGurk. However, Rahul's likely absence from the two games will likely disrupt the team combination.
Also Read:Â IPL 2025 Opening Ceremony: Who will perform in the show, Live time, streaming, and all you need to know
While DC have a wicketkeeper in Abhishek Porel, they will have to look out to fill in Rahul's position for the first two games. DC have options in Karun Nair and Sameer Rizvi. The former is coming into the IPL 2025 on the back of stellar performances for Vidarbha in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji Trophy.
