Wed May 21 14:10:00 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**Delhi Capitals Gamble with Injured Rahul, Axar Patel Sidelined in Crucial Match Against Mumbai Indians**

**Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai -** In a surprising turn of events, Delhi Capitals (DC) opted to keep star batsman KL Rahul out of their starting XI for today’s crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) match against the Mumbai Indians. Rahul, who recently notched a century, was named as an impact substitute. The decision comes after Rahul sustained a blow to his right knee during training, raising concerns about his fitness ahead of India’s upcoming tour of England. The franchise is seemingly taking a cautious approach, prioritizing the long-term health of the wicketkeeper-batter. Abishek Porel will take his place behind the stumps.

Adding to DC’s woes, regular captain Axar Patel was also ruled out of the match due to illness. “[He has] been really sick in the last two days,” stand-in captain Faf du Plessis confirmed at the toss. “We’ll miss him today. Axar is two players and it’s difficult to replace him. We’ll see how it goes.”

**Playing XIs:**

* **Delhi Capitals:** Faf du Plessis(c), Abishek Porel(w), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Kumar
* **Mumbai Indians:** Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah

**Impact Substitutes:**

* **Delhi Capitals:** KL Rahul, Sediqullah Atal, Karun Nair, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar L
* **Mumbai Indians:** Karn Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Satyanarayana Raju

The absence of both Rahul and Patel presents a significant challenge for Delhi Capitals as they look to secure a vital win against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.

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