While there is no clarity over who will be India’s captain or vice-captain for IPL 2022 season, it has been confirmed that Steve Smith’s departure from Australia to play alongside a young batter is not going to dent their chances of success. They have appointed David Warner and Aiden Markram as captain/vice-captains of the DC team and Punjab Kings respectively ahead of the opening fixture on Friday against Rajasthan Royals at home.                                            

Warner has led the squad during his career with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI). After a few impressive seasons at RCB, he was recently signed by SRH where he would lead them in West Indies T20 tournament. In addition to this, he has also represented MI in limited overs series. During his stint at RR, Warner picked up eight wickets in three innings including conceding just one run (4) in 2 ODIs in 2020 under Rohit Sharma. He had also helped Rohit take two ODI World Cups in 2019 and 2021. However, in recent times, he hasn’t performed well since the last tour. The former Test opener has been inconsistent during his IPL career and managed only four wickets in six matches till date.

On the other hand, Markram will begin his second campaign of the league after being handed charge by the Chennai Super Kings. His first taste of franchise cricket came when he captained Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2017 IPL season. Apart from domestic honours, he has played for various clubs in England and Wales. Before signing for CSK, he was part of England’s Under 19 Team in 2018 edition of Cricket Europe Championship which they won. Over the years, he had developed into a good keeper, bowler who delivered match winning performances all across formats. Currently, he remains with Surrey County XI and has also represented Kent county. There are many reasons why the Lancashire youngster made his debut for the London club but failed to make the cut for Somerset Patriots. Despite having more experience, his batting average still needs improvement. Overall, the 32-year old has represented Sussex in five Ranji Trophy matches till now. This includes 2015, 2016 and 2018 editions. In addition to this he had gone back to represent Southampton Warriors in 2016 in the English Football Cup before joining Sussex Cottage in 2014.

Both Warner and Markram have shown strong character throughout their careers. Their individual performances were always rewarded with praise by the supporters. It is expected that the new skipper will bring some fresh ideas and approach to their opponents to ensure that they stay focussed throughout the game. With this in mind, fans can expect an exciting competition for both sides with very tough opponents including Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. Both teams have won numerous trophies so far. For DC, it will be another golden opportunity to seal their spot among the top five sides in terms of overall percentage points. On the contrary, Rajasthan Royals will hope for redemption having tasted defeat in a couple of games which raised doubts about their future.

The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel must hope to continue their fruitful form and show the kind of consistency that helps them secure victories under pressure. Even though this season will be challenging for the batters, even if players like these don’t start performing properly then their counterparts like Smit Patel and Jason Holder must be able to find ways to get them out of trouble. If they manage to do so, DC could win the championship title again. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings might look forward to facing some solid opposition for the first time at the beginning of the league. The table below shows how other sides are faring so far in the tournament:

Brief Scores Batting average 1st place : 543 @ 8.66 Bowlers total 2nd place : 397 @ 16.11 3rd place : 38 @ 9.12 4th place : 35 @ 10.16 5th place : 23 @ 11.14 6th place : 14 @ 12.65 7th place : 13 @ 12.42 8th place : 22 @ 15.17

DC vs PBKS Match Details

Venue – Bengal Fenty Stadium

Time – Sat Jul 2, 7:30 PM IST

Team News 1st Place Team Name Current Status Batters Squad Name Team Name Jai Hindmarsh New Zealand CC Captain Jason Holder Birmingham CWC Former Sri Lankan cricketer

Jason Roy Bangladesh W Proved reserves T Nataraj Reddy Barbados UCC Head Coach Rahul Dravid Tamil Nadu City SC Captain Sanju Samson Trinidad & Tobago UCL Senior player HardusViljoen St Kitts Nevis Queens Cricket Club Coaching Arshdeep Singh India IyerChahal Punjab Kings Chairman Rajat Shah Pakistan IyerAnamShafi Sindh UCL Vice Chairman MohdAkmal Haryana Ziaurruwan International Selector