Mitchell Starc is all set to run in with the brand new ball. Over the wicket, one slip and a fine short third in
7:28pm Axar gives a final pep talk in the DC huddle before spreading out. Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram are the LSG openers
7:20pm Thanks Abhimanyu. Hello everyone, how are we? Quite a few surprises in the LSG XI. Let’s see how they go. Weather looks pretty clear in Vizag, not a lot of spectators in yet, the ground about 50% full at best
Krunal: “How is Shardul Thakur playing for LSG today? I thought he went unsold during the auction.” He is Mohsin Khan’s replacement
Time for Suds to make his first appearance today in the virtual comms box. Let him know how you think LSG’s left-dominant batting lineup will do today.
7.15pm It’s 73m down the ground and the square boundaries are 62m on either side. Here is WV Raman’s pitch report: “The pitch is hard and even, there’s not much of grass but that’s because the curator told me he’s been rolling this pitch for at least a month. Normally we get tracks here where we get a lot of runs and this will be no different. The only solace for the bowlers is that the boundaries are fairly reasonably sized so they will get some protection.”
Nabeel : “LSG giving vibes of some old version of RCB. Too much firepower in batting but bowling unit capable of conceding any score no matter how much.” To be fair, that’s only because FOUR of their first-choice fast bowlers have been injured! It’s not as much down to their auction planning, as it is circumstances beyond their control.
Sowmya : “Rishabh Pant playing against DC is like Thierry Henry playing against Arsenal!!” You know what, I remember watching his first match at the Emirates after he moved to FC Barcelona, and the crowd cheered him on so much, he looked like he was nearly brought to tears. And Arsenal came back from two goals down to draw the match 2-2. Thanks for bringing back those memories!
LSG: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi
LSG subs: M Siddharth, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Akash Singh, Rajvardhan Hangargekar
DC: Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar
DC subs: Karun Nair, Ashutosh Sharma, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Darshan Nalkande
6.58pm Alright, it’s almost toss time. Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel walk out to the middle. They are looking at each other’s team sheets now. Delhi Capitals win the toss and will bowl first. Axar says they don’t want to take a risk with dew around. Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tristan Stubbs and Mitchell Starc are their overseas players. “Definitely a lot of emotion for DC. But I hope I can give my best and make a difference,” says Pant. Mitch Marsh, Markram, Pooran and Miller are LSG’s overseas players.
FYI: You can follow our live report, helmed by Ashish Pant, for real-time detailed analysis of the match. You can also follow our ball-by-ball commentary in Hindi.
Roshan Sherigar: “@Sujatha. Well, when Bumrah comes out to bowl, these same kids will want to change their profession :)” Touche!
Wasey Habib: “Markram should play ahead of Marsh as he provides a bowling option and is an electric fielder too. I expect Shamar Joseph to also get a proper run here with their fast bowling injuries, hope he comes good.”
Shubha : “Winning and losing are both habits which lead to telling effects on the psychology of an entire team. Vital that teams should get as many wins in a long tournament like the IPL” Well, teams need to get as many wins as possible to stay in the top four as well, so yeah I guess winning matches will be on every team’s to-do list.
Sujatha : “Last evening, just after the mayhem by SRH , 12 kids assembled on the road outside our home for Sunday evening cricket. No kid wanted to bowl. Everyone wanted to bat!” Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and co… look what you’re doing to cricketing culture!
6.40pm ICYMI: The first Sunday of IPL 2025 brought out the real entertainment. The second-highest IPL total was scored by – and no points for guessing – Sunrisers Hyderabad, with Travishek setting it up, but it was Ishan Kishan who was the basher-in-chief. And then, a 24-year-old from Kerala with no T20 experience and no caps for his state team, made waves for Mumbai Indians, even as Chennai Super Kings started their campaign with a win.
6.28pm BREAKING NEWS: KL Rahul is not available for today’s match. We will bring you more details soon. I’ve been informed that he trained with the team on Saturday, but left the squad yesterday and won’t be available today.
Vikram: “Visakhapatnam has been having few cracker of games since 2024. Hoping for one this year as well in my hometown.”
6.25pm It’s been windy today in Vizag, with even a thunderstorm alert at 4pm in the evening. The ground had covers on in anticipation, but thankfully the rain has stayed away so far.
AKay: “From the 3 matches so far in the current IPL season, the teams who have lost seem to be having a bit of weakness in their bowling… Batting is strength of all 10 teams and bowling is the one area which will make a big difference in this season !”
6.15pm Here’s more on LSG’s injury crisis: Mohsin Khan has been ruled out of the season after he tore his ACL and he has been replaced by Shardul Thakur. Pace sensation Mayank Yadav’s recovery from a back issue, meanwhile, has been set back by a new toe injury! Avesh Khan and Akash Deep are also at the NCA undergoing rehab along with Mayank. Akash Deep is recuperating from a stress injury in his lower back, while Avesh is closest to making a return to action as he recovers from niggles in his right knee.
6.10pm So, what can you look forward to in today’s game? Pant vs Rahul, revamped squads, JFM’s form and how LSG cope with injuries to their fast bowling contingent – it’s all covered in Shashank Kishore’s preview.
6pm Hello everybody. It’s Game 4 of IPL 2025 and it’s Delhi Capitals taking on Lucknow Super Giants in Visakhapatnam. It’s been a whirlwind start to the tournament and today, we have some drama in store for us in the form of former DC skipper Rishabh Pant turning up against them (and leading LSG). KL Rahul has gone the other way, and could make his DC debut against his old team today, although his availability due to ‘personal reasons’. I’m Abhimanyu, and I’ll be joined soon by S Sudarshanan, as we bring you all the action from the IPL today. So, strap in and get ready for the ride!
