Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) have roped in Australian batting talent Jake Fraser-McGurk for the upcoming season after star South African pacer Lungi Ngidi was unable to join the squad due to injury.
Fraser-McGurk, having represented Australia in two ODIs will head to the Capitals side and will work with fellow Aussie and coach Ricky Ponting. Ngidi’s absence will certainly be a setback for the 2020 IPL runners-up as they will be weakened in the bowling department.
Delhi announce replacement for Ngidi
“Delhi Capitals (DC) named all-rounder Jake Fraser-McGurk as a replacement for Lungisani Ngidi for the upcoming edition of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.”
“Ngidi, who has played 14 IPL matches and has 25 wickets against his name, was ruled out of the TATA IPL 2024 due to injury.”
“Jake Fraser-McGurk has played 2 ODIs for Australia. He joins DC for his reserve price of INR 50 Lakh,” read the statement from IPL.
With exactly a week to go for the start of IPL 2024, Delhi had a choice to make to replace the Proteas pacer. However, in a surprise move, Delhi opted to bring in a batter in place of a bowler to strengthen the side. The move made sense after England batter Harry Brook pulled out of the competition.
Interestingly, Fraser-McGurk is not new to the franchise having played for them during the recently concluded ILT20. Representing the Dubai Capitals, Fraser-McGurk scored 109 runs with a top score of 51 and a staggering strike rate of 213.72.
The last 48 hours have been interesting for the Delhi Capitals with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcing Rishabh Pant fit for IPL. Meanwhile, Brook’s withdrawal came in as a setback for the side.
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DC start against Punjab Kings
DC will start their campaign against Punjab Kings on Saturday (Mar 23) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Chandigarh. The home fans in Delhi, however, won’t be able to see Pant in action at least in the first phase of the tournament.
Delhi will play three away matches during the first phase of the IPL 2024 while their remaining two matches (technically home games) will be played in Visakhapatnam. The upcoming general elections in India have forced the above-mentioned adjustments for Delhi Capitals.