The Delhi Capitals management have decided to appoint Australian veteran David Warner as interim captain for the 2023 edition of the IPL in the absence of regular skipper Rishabh Pant. Pant, who was at the receiving end of a horrific car crash back in January, has been making a gradual recovery, but has nevertheless been ruled out of any cricketing action for the entirety of 2023, and potentially a major chunk of 2024 as well.

Such being the case, the Delhi team management, led by head coach Ricky Ponting, have made the choice to appoint IPL stalwart and senior player David Warner as captain of the side, ahead of Indian players such as Axar Patel, or even Prithvi Shaw. Follow all Delhi Capitals matches during IPL 2023 with the best betting odds from Gclub.

While many assumed that Axar Patel, who was the designated vice-captain of the side during the last season, will be appointed as captain, the Capitals have instead decided to go with the tried and tested Warner. Axar, on the other hand, will continue as vice-captain.

Pant’s accident, which occurred while he was driving back home early in the morning in a surprise gesture to his family members, resulted in severe injuries in multiple areas, which will require a significant recovery time.

His absence will not only impact the Delhi Capitals, but the Indian national side as well, where he has been a vital part of the red-ball set up. He will be missed in both the WTC finals, for which India recently qualified, as well as the ODI World Cup later this year.

Warner has been successful as captain in the IPL, coming in at fifth place in terms of win percentage. The former Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper, who also led them to a title win in 2016, has won 35 out of 69 matches in which he has led the side, losing 32 and drawing two more. Captaincy has not taken a toll on Warner in the past, and the numbers back him up.

The seasoned Aussie has nearly 3,000 runs as captain at an awesome strike rate of 142. His performance last season, where he finished as the Capitals’ highest run-getter, with 432 runs at 48/150.52 will be a huge positive for Ponting’s men. Follow Gclub Sports to get the latest updates from IPL 2023.