Star Australian opener David Warner was picked up by the Delhi Capitals in the February mega-auction for 6.25 crore. However, the left-hander has not featured in both of the Capitals’ games so far.
But the good news for Rishabh Pant-led outfit is that Warner is fit and available for their next game, against Lucknow Super Giants on April 7 at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
Delhi Capitals have sorely missed the services of David Warner, who is the leading overseas run-scorer in the IPL history with 5268 runs, scored at an average of 42, strike rate of 140; Warner has struck 49 half-centuries in the IPL – the highest in the tournament’s history.
In the absence of David Warner, New Zealand’s Tim Siefert opened with Prithvi Shaw and the pair managed opening stands of 30 and 8, respectively against Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans.
David Warner, who had landed in Mumbai, took to social media on Sunday and shared a picture of the Gateway of India. In the caption, he wrote: “Can you guess where I am now??”
Here’s David Warner’s Instagram post:
Warner was in Pakistan recently where he was part of the Test series-winning side. He was then rested for the following ODI series. However, he and other Australia-contracted players were not allowed to play in the IPL until April 5, the date of Australia’s T20I against Pakistan. Hence, even if Warner had arrived earlier, he wouldn’t have been able to play in the first two games for Delhi.
DC head coach Ricky Ponting confirmed that Warner will be available for the next game, on April 7, while Mitchell Marsh, who is recovering from a hip injury that he sustained in Pakistan, is expected to be fit for the April 10 match versus Kolkata Knight Riders.
“We are hoping that he [Marsh] is gonna be available for the game on 10th [against Kolkata Knight Riders]. He picked up that slight hip flexor strain in Pakistan. So we need to get a lot of treatment work into him and obviously a few good training sessions before he is available for selection. But fingers crossed, Davey should be there for the next game and Mitch Marsh for the game after,” Ponting said after Delhi’s loss to Gujarat on Saturday.
